1. Mississippi (34.4% obesity rate)

A resident walks around downtown Lexington, Miss., in Holmes County. Just five years ago, in 2006, Mississippi was the only state with an obesity rate above 30 percent. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
 
  • Population: 2.9 million
  • % Uninsured: 17.6
  • Obesity Rate, % Adults: 34.4
  • Obesity Rate, % Children: 21.9

2. Alabama (32.3% obesity rate)

 
Band member Alvin Garrett, left, and Ruben Studdard perform in concert at Workplay Theater in Birmingham, Ala. After shedding nearly 100 pounds, Studdard hopes to inspire such diet changes in his home state of Alabama. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
 
  • Population: 4.7 million
  • % Uninsured: 16.9
  • Obesity Rate, % Adults: 32.3
  • Obesity Rate, % Children: 17.9

 3. West Virginia (32.2% obesity rate)

K.D. Jones, 11, of Campbells Creek, W.Va., dances to control a video game. Jones is one of 85 children who was recruited by the West Virginia Public Employees Insurance Agency to participate in an at-home study using the video game Dance Dance Revolution to increase physical activity. (AP Photo/Jeff Gentner)
 
  • Population: 1.8 million
  • % Uninsured: 6.2
  • Obesity Rate, % Adults: 32.2
  • Obesity Rate, % Children: 18.9

Recommended For You

4. Tennessee (31.9% obsesity rate)

Rep. Susan Lynn, R-Mt Juliet, speaks in the House Chamber of the Tennessee State Capitol in Nashville, Tenn. The House voted 65-31 to override Gov. Phil Bredesen's veto of a bill to limit local authority on requiring calorie counts to be listed on restaurant menus. The bill was introduced in response to a 2009 decision in Nashville to require menu labeling at chain restaurants. The Democratic governor vetoed the bill, citing Tennessee's obesity rate that ranks among the highest in the nation. (AP Photo/Josh Anderson)
 
  • Population: 6.3 million
  • % Uninsured: 15.4
  • Obesity Rate, % Adults: 31.9
  • Obesity Rate, % Children: 20.6

5. Louisiana (31.6% obesity rate)

Chef Paul Prudhomme gestures as he greets guests at his French Quarter restaurant, K-Paul's Louisiana Kitchen, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Bill Haber)
 
  • Population: 4.5 million
  • % Uninsured: 16
  • Obesity Rate, % Adults: 31.6
  • Obesity Rate, % Children: 20.7

6. Kentucky (31.5% obesity rate)

Edward Patterson, a Kentucky Fried Chicken employee, chows down on some of the company's trans fat-free product. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)
 
  • Population: 4.3 million
  • % Uninsured: 16.2
  • Obesity Rate, % Adults: 31.5
  • Obesity Rate, % Children: 21

7. Oklahoma (31.4% obesity rate)

Carrie Snyder-Renfro talks with a reporter while working out in Oklahoma City. Mayor Mick Cornett wanted residents to shed 1 million pounds in 2008 and end Oklahoma City's dubious distinction as one of America's fattest cities. (AP Photo)
 
  • Population: 3.7 million
  • % Uninsured: 18.1
  • Obesity Rate, % Adults: 31.4
  • Obesity Rate, % Children: 16.4

8. South Carolina (30.9% obesity rate)

Diani Grant,left, Deasia Lucas,center, and Latrelle Jennings, right, eat their school lunch at Hand Middle School in Columbia, S.C. A bill introduced in the South Carolina House of Representative would trim fat from S.C. school lunches.(AP Photo/Mary Ann Chastain)
 
  • Population: 4.6 million
  • % Uninsured: 17
  • Obesity Rate, % Adults: 30.9
  • Obesity Rate, % Children: 15.3

9. Arkansas (30.6% obesity rate)

Damon Diamond, 2, of Bryant, Ark., is examined by Dr. Samiya Razzaq at an Arkansas Children's Hospital clinic in Little Rock, Ark. Arkansas instituted first-in-the-nation obesity testing for public school children in 2004.
 
  • Population: 2.9 million
  • % Uninsured: 19.2
  • Obesity Rate, % Adults: 30.6
  • Obesity Rate, % Children: 20.4

10. Michigan (30.5% obesity rate)

Clague Middle School students Jessa Gargan, left, and Zahra Al-hasnawy look over props used in a health program in their classroom in Ann Arbor, Mich. Healthy Schools, a collaborative program between Ann Arbor public schools and the University of Michigan Health System, uses 20-minute lesson plans, motivational speakers and eye-catching props to disseminate basic nutrition information and encourage physical exercise. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
 
  • Population: 9.8 million
  • % Uninsured: 13.8
  • Obesity Rate, % Adults: 30.5
  • Obesity Rate, % Children: 12.4 
NOT FOR REPRINT

© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.