Is North Dakota Among the Most Obese States? Here’s the Data

Obesity rates in the United States have climbed over the years. According to the CDC, our obesity rates in the U.S. have tripled since the 1970s, and in 2021, 41 percent of adults were classified as obese.

The OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) says the United States ranks as number 1 for adult obesity.

While we've known this is a growing epidemic in our country for some time, have we ever looked at the individual states? Which states rank highest in obesity?

Statista did a study ranking each state from highest to lowest.

It found that the state with the highest overall obesity rate is West Virginia. 41.2 percent of the state's population has been classified as obese.

West Virginia is followed by Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Alabama.

States with the lowest obese population are the District of Columbia, Colorado, Hawaii, and Massachusetts.

What about North Dakota? Where does North Dakota rank? According to the source, North Dakota ranks as the nineteenth highest state for obesity in the country. 35.6 percent of adults are classified as obese in our state.

If you ask me, that seems pretty high. However, I will say that North Dakotans have a few challenges to factor into this. First, we only have about three months of summer, so we're very limited on time to get outside to do physical activities.

On the flip side, North Dakota fares quite well when compared to other states' gyms per capita. Both of those points make it hard to say what the issue is in North Dakota.

Why do you think North Dakota ranks so high in obesity? Tell us in the app.