Recently, I was reading about obesity problems, statistics on obesity, and eating disorder facts. Then I did some searching online for obesity on Google News Search. Some of the stuff that came up was amazing. I noticed a bunch of articles on the proposed “obesity tax” which would be placed on sugary drinks in the state of New York. This “obesity tax” has been proposed by the NY Gov. Then there were some articles on the obesity rates in China. Apparently, there are some concerns over rising obesity statistics due to the “new money” in China and changing habits.
Adult Obesity Satistics
- More than 1/3 of U.S. adults are obese (78.6 million, 34.9%)
- Estimated medical cost of obesity in the U.S. was $147 billion in 2008
- Medical costs for obese individuals was $1,429 higher than that of normal weight individuals
I found some interesting obesity statistics on the CDC website. New Statistics for 2014 show an increase in obesity in EVERY state; Washington DC saw the only decrease and that was by .1%
| State | State Percentage | New 2014 State Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 30.3 | 33.5 |
| Alaska | 27.5 | 29.7 |
| Arizona | 25.4 | 28.9 |
| Arkansas | 28.7 | 35.9 |
| California | 22.6 | 24.7 |
| Colorado | 18.7 | 21.3 |
| Connecticut | 21.2 | 26.3 |
| Delaware | 27.4 | 30.7 |
| Florida | 23.6 | 26.2 |
| Georgia | 28.2 | 30.5 |
| Hawaii | 21.4 | 22.1 |
| Idaho | 24.5 | 28.9 |
| Illinois | 24.9 | 29.3 |
| Indiana | 26.8 | 32.7 |
| Iowa | 26.9 | 30.9 |
| Kansas | 26.9 | 31.3 |
| Kentucky | 27.4 | 31.6 |
| Louisiana | 29.8 | 34.9 |
| Maine | 24.8 | 28.2 |
| Maryland | 25.4 | 29.6 |
| Massachusetts | 21.3 | 23.3 |
| Michigan | 27.7 | 30.7 |
| Minnesota | 25.6 | 27.6 |
| Mississippi | 32.0 | 35.5 |
| Missouri | 27.5 | 30.2 |
| Montana | 21.8 | 26.4 |
| Nebraska | 26.0 | 30.2 |
| Nevada | 24.1 | 27.7 |
| New Hampshire | 24.4 | 27.4 |
| New Jersey | 23.5 | 28.4 |
| New Mexico | 24.0 | 28.4 |
| New York | 25.0 | 27.0 |
| North Carolina | 28.0 | 29.7 |
| North Dakota | 26.5 | 32.2 |
| Ohio | 27.5 | 32.6 |
| Oklahoma | 28.1 | 33.0 |
| Oregon | 25.5 | 27.9 |
| Pennsylvania | 27.1 | 30.2 |
| Rhode Island | 21.4 | 27.0 |
| South Carolina | 28.4 | 32.1 |
| South Dakota | 26.2 | 29.8 |
| Tennessee | 30.1 | 31.2 |
| Texas | 28.1 | 31.9 |
| Utah | 21.8 | 25.7 |
| Vermont | 21.3 | 24.8 |
| Virginia | 24.3 | 28.5 |
| Washington | 25.3 | 27.3 |
| Washington DC | 21.8 | 21.7 |
| West Virginia | 29.5 | 35.7 |
| Wisconsin | 24.7 | 31.2 |
| Wyoming | 23.7 | 29.5 |
Obesity Statistics Breakdown by States
- There is no longer even one state where less than 20% of the population is obese
- Only 5 states are under 25% obese
- 19 states have an obesity rate between 30% and 35%
- 3 States have an obesity rate of at least 35%
- Arkansas has the highest percentage of obese people at 35.9%
- Colorado remains the state with the lowest percentage of obese people at 21.3%
- Washington DC ranks second lowest at 21.7% – also, the only place to see a decrease in obesity percentage
Sources:
cdc.gov Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity [Online]
cdc.gov Adult Obesity Facts [Online]
