Many people across the world believe that most Americans are overweight and eat a lot of junk food. While this is a bit of an exaggeration, the fact is that over 40% of adults in the United States are considered obese. Recently, WalletHub studied 100 of the largest U.S. cities using 19 different health and lifestyle factors to find out which cities have the biggest problems with overweight and obesity. Let’s take a closer look at the results.
Cities with the Highest Obesity Rates in the U.S.
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, Texas
At the top of the list is the McAllen-Edinburg-Mission area in Texas. This region scored 85.93 points overall. A higher score means a bigger problem with obesity. It ranked very poorly in health consequences and fitness levels, showing a serious health concern among its people.
Memphis Metro Area
Memphis, which includes parts of Tennessee, Missouri, and Arkansas, comes second with 84.88 points. It has one of the worst scores for health problems like diabetes and high cholesterol, and many residents do not follow healthy eating habits.
Mobile, Alabama
Mobile, known for being the home of Mardi Gras, ranks third. It scored 84.52 points. Even though it performs slightly better when it comes to food and fitness availability, it still has a large number of overweight people.
Knoxville, Tennessee
Knoxville has the worst score for health consequences related to obesity. This means many residents suffer from heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes. Knoxville scored 84.31 points overall.
Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson, the capital city of Mississippi, is fifth with 84.18 points. It ranked sixth in terms of poor health outcomes, showing the serious impact of obesity on residents’ lives.
Chattanooga Metro Area
Chattanooga, which covers parts of Tennessee and Georgia, also appeared in the top list. It scored high for obesity rates and faces challenges like poor access to healthy food and low fitness levels.
Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, Arkansas
Little Rock stands out with the highest projected obesity rate by 2030. The region struggles with access to healthy food, scoring 83.74 points in total.
Shreveport-Bossier City, Louisiana
Shreveport-Bossier City scored 83.46 points. It has major health consequences from obesity, ranking as the fourth-worst in the country for health issues.
Birmingham-Hoover, Alabama
While downtown Birmingham is famous for its great food, the larger Birmingham-Hoover metro area faces food deserts — areas where healthy food is hard to find. It scored 82.37 points for obesity-related issues.
Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia rounds out the top ten with 81.64 points. The city struggles with physical inactivity and limited access to healthy food, making it one of the worst in the nation for food and fitness.
Obesity continues to be a major health challenge across many American cities. The cities at the top of this list face not just high rates of overweight people but also serious health problems like heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure. Many of these places also lack easy access to healthy food and fitness resources, making it even harder for people to live healthier lives. Addressing these problems requires better community planning, more health education, and affordable access to good food and exercise opportunities.
