Cities with the highest rates of obesity

Sean Pavone // Shutterstock The U.S. has the highest rate of obesity in adults in the developed world, according to the Global Obesity Observatory. Still, obesity rates worldwide have increased over the past several decades, with the World Health Organization reporting most people live in countries where starvation and malnutrition kill fewer people than obesity. A common, though decreasingly used, measure of obesity is body mass index. This calculation uses a person’s height and weight to roughly indicate whether a person might be underweight, overweight, or at a generally healthy weight. Stacker examined data from the CDC’s annual PLACES report, released in July 2023, to see which cities had the highest share of obese adults. Cities with at least 10,000 residents are ranked by the share of respondents with a body mass index greater than or equal to 30, calculated from self-reported weight and height. In the event of a tie, the overall population was used. It’s vital to note that the BMI metric is so broad that many health experts discourage using BMI to indicate overall health. In June 2023, the American Medical Association announced a new policy that clarifies how BMI should be used after an AMA Council on Science and Public Health report highlighted BMI’s limitations and historical issues. Solely using BMI to diagnose obesity and assess one’s health doesn’t consider variants like age, sex, gender, race, and ethnicity, with the AMA recommending clinicians use BMI alongside other measures.  Weight is not necessarily a health issue on its own; problems arise when excess fat or weight, and the nutritional imbalances related to it, bring about diseases that can become chronic and even fatal. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute states that overweight and obese people are at higher risk of developing “heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, gallstones, breathing problems, and certain cancers.” According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the annual medical cost of treating obesity in the U.S. was nearly $173 billion in 2019. Not only can obese adults be burdened by medical bills, but they also may miss work more often due to health problems. The connection between obesity, income, and educational level is considered “complex” by the CDC, as other variables, such as gender, race, and ethnicity, play a role in the statistics. However, the CDC reports overall, those with college degrees had lower obesity prevalence than people with less education. Among U.S. states, obesity rates and poverty indexes also appear to be related. Most cities with high obesity rates rank low in average income and educational attainment–particularly those in lower-income areas of the South and Midwest. #50. San Benito, Texas Dave Einsel // Getty Images – Total population: 24,250 – Share of adults with obesity: 47% #49. Coffeyville, Kansas Sabrina Janelle Gordon // Shutterstock – Total population: 10,297 – Share of adults with obesity: 47.1% #48. Minden, Louisiana Sabrina Janelle Gordon // Shutterstock – Total population: 13,084 – Share of adults with obesity: 47.1% #47. Marietta, Ohio Wendy van Overstreet // Shutterstock – Total population: 14,085 – Share of adults with obesity: 47.1% #46. Portsmouth, Virginia Wangkun Jia // Shutterstock – Total population: 95,535 – Share of adults with obesity: 47.1% #45. Raymondville, Texas Roberto Galan // Shutterstock – Total population: 11,284 – Share of adults with obesity: 47.2% #44. Bastrop, Louisiana Jarred Armfield // Shutterstock – Total population: 11,365 – Share of adults with obesity: 47.3% #43. Bogalusa, Louisiana Jahi Chikwendiu // The Washington Post via Getty Images – Total population: 12,232 – Share of adults with obesity: 47.3% #42. Selma, Alabama James Kirkikis // Shutterstock – Total population: 20,756 – Share of adults with obesity: 47.3% #41. Lima, Ohio Bravo Charlie Productions // Shutterstock – Total population: 38,777 – Share of adults with obesity: 47.4% #40. Donna, Texas Canva – Total population: 15,798 – Share of adults with obesity: 47.6% #39. Dayton, Ohio Beeline Aerial // Shutterstock – Total population: 141,542 – Share of adults with obesity: 47.6% #38. Hamilton, Ohio BullpenAl // Shutterstock – Total population: 62,371 – Share of adults with obesity: 47.7% #37. Zanesville, Ohio CEW // Shutterstock – Total population: 25,488 – Share of adults with obesity: 47.8% #36. Warren, Ohio Eleonore SENS / AFP via Getty Images – Total population: 41,592 – Share of adults with obesity: 47.8% #35. Canton, Ohio Henryk Sadura // Shutterstock – Total population: 73,557 – Share of adults with obesity: 47.8% #34. Ironton, Ohio The American Explorer // Shutterstock – Total population: 11,129 – Share of adults with obesity: 47.9% #33. Hope, Arkansas Roberto Galan // Shutterstock – Total population: 10,122 – Share of adults with obesity: 48% #32. La Homa, Texas Canva – Total population: 11,909 – Share of adults with obesity: 48% #31. Jennings, Missouri DANIEL SLIM/AFP // Getty Images – Total population: 14,710 – Share of adults with obesity: 48% #30. Atmore, Alabama Carol M. Highsmith/Buyenlarge // Getty Images – Total population: 10,194 – Share of adults with obesity: 48.1% #29. Fairfield, Alabama Isabella Pino/REDA&CO/Universal Images Group // Getty Images – Total population: 11,117 – Share of adults with obesity: 48.1% #28. Ashtabula, Ohio redtbird02 // Shutterstock – Total population: 19,124 – Share of adults with obesity: 48.1% #27. East Cleveland, Ohio Mikhalis Makarov // Shutterstock – Total population: 17,843 – Share of adults with obesity: 48.2% #26. Greenwood, Mississippi jmanaugh3 // Shutterstock – Total population: 15,205 – Share of adults with obesity: 48.3% #25. Muskegon, Michigan Jacob Boomsma // Shutterstock – Total population: 38,406 – Share of adults with obesity: 48.4% #24. McComb, Mississippi Michael Wade/Icon Sportswire // Getty Images – Total population: 12,786 – Share of adults with obesity: 48.5% #23. Akron, Ohio Sean Pavone // Shutterstock – Total population: 199,138 – Share of adults with obesity: 48.5% #22. Marion, Ohio Ralf Broskvar // Shutterstock – Total population: 36,837 – Share of adults with obesity: 48.6% #21. Middletown, Ohio Kilmer Media // Shutterstock – Total population: 48,694 – Share of adults with obesity: 48.6% #20. York, Pennsylvania Christian Hinkle // Shutterstock – Total population: 43,718 – Share of adults with obesity: 49% #19. East Liverpool, Ohio The American Explorer // Shutterstock – Total population: 11,300 – Share of adults with obesity: 49.3% #18. Trotwood, Ohio Canva – Total population: 24,431 – Share of adults with obesity: 49.6% #17. Highland Park, Michigan BD Images // Shutterstock – Total population: 11,776 – Share of adults with obesity: 49.7% #16. Forrest City, Arkansas Nina Alizada // Shutterstock – Total population: 15,382 – Share of adults with obesity: 49.7% #15. East Chicago, Indiana Kenneth Keifer // Shutterstock – Total population: 29,698 – Share of adults with obesity: 49.7% #14. Youngstown, Ohio Sean Pavone // Shutterstock – Total population: 66,982 – Share of adults with obesity: 49.7% #13. Portsmouth, Ohio Hawkeye Dronography // Shutterstock – Total population: 20,226 – Share of adults with obesity: 50.3% #12. Clarksdale, Mississippi Bennekom // Shutterstock – Total population: 17,962 – Share of adults with obesity: 50.5% #11. Prichard, Alabama Cavan-Images // Shutterstock – Total population: 22,664 – Share of adults with obesity: 50.6% #10. Indianola, Mississippi Nina Alizada // Shutterstock – Total population: 10,683 – Share of adults with obesity: 50.9% #9. Saginaw, Michigan Jacob Boomsma // Shutterstock – Total population: 51,497 – Share of adults with obesity: 51.1% #8. Benton Harbor, Michigan Suzanne Tucker // Shutterstock – Total population: 10,168 – Share of adults with obesity: 51.6% #7. Flint, Michigan Jacob Boomsma // Shutterstock – Total population: 102,434 – Share of adults with obesity: 51.7% #6. Cahokia, Illinois Kit Leong // Shutterstock – Total population: 15,243 – Share of adults with obesity: 51.9% #5. Yazoo City, Mississippi Chad Robertson Media // Shutterstock – Total population: 11,403 – Share of adults with obesity: 52.1% #4. Gary, Indiana Jacob Boomsma // Shutterstock – Total population: 80,294 – Share of adults with obesity: 52.3% #3. Beecher, Michigan Xinhua/Joel Lerner // Getty Images – Total population: 10,232 – Share of adults with obesity: 53.8% #2. Muskegon Heights, Michigan Canva – Total population: 10,857 – Share of adults with obesity: 55.5% #1. East St. Louis, Illinois Wspin // Shutterstock – Total population: 27,005 – Share of adults with obesity: 57.9% Story editing by Jeff Inglis. Copy editing by Kristen Wegrzyn. Photo selection by Clarese Moller.