Today in America, over 93 million adults, nearly 40 percent, are considered obese. The issue of obesity goes beyond people's waistlines — it's the large economic impact on healthcare that directly affects the cost of health insurance for Americans. By some estimations, obesity-related healthcare costs range from $147 billion to $210 billion per year, and with health insurance companies footing those bills, it's driving up the cost of health insurance for all Americans.
When ranking the fittest and the fattest states, there's really no clear cut divide in state obesity levels. According to data from the Center for Disease Control, West Virginia ranks highest at 38.1 percent of adults who are obese, compared to the lowest state, Colorado, at 22.6 percent. Colorado's 22.6 percent of obese adults goes to show that America's obesity is prevalent even at its lowest levels.
To rank the fittest and fattest states, we analyzed CDC obesity data along with Body Mass Index (BMI) data from QuoteWizard health insurance users to find an aggregate ranking of fittest and fattest states. Each state was evaluated by their rate of obesity (CDC data) and their average BMI (QuoteWizard data). Final rankings were determined by an aggregate ranking of overall obesity figures. States are ranked from 1 to 50, 1 being fittest and 50 being fattest.
| Rank (fittest) | State |
|---|---|
| 1 | Hawaii |
| 2 | Montana |
| 3 | Connecticut |
| 4 | Vermont |
| 5 | New Jersey |
| 6 | California |
| 7 | Colorado |
| 8 | Massachusetts |
| 9 | Rhode Island |
| 10 | New Hampshire |
| 11 | New Mexico |
| 12 | Maine |
| 13 | New York |
| 14 | Wyoming |
| 15 | Nevada |
| 16 | Washington |
| 17 | Minnesota |
| 18 | South Dakota |
| 19 | Idaho |
| 20 | Utah |
| 21 | Oregon |
| 22 | Delaware |
| 23 | Alaska |
| 24 | North Dakota |
| 25 | Arizona |
| 26 | Pennsylvania |
| 27 | Maryland |
| 28 | Wisconsin |
| 29 | Florida |
| 30 | Nebraska |
| 31 | Virginia |
| 32 | Michigan |
| 33 | Illinois |
| 34 | North Carolina |
| 35 | Ohio |
| 36 | Iowa |
| 37 | Tennessee |
| 38 | Georgia |
| 39 | Kansas |
| 40 | Indiana |
| 41 | South Carolina |
| 42 | Missouri |
| 43 | Louisiana |
| 44 | West Virgina |
| 45 | Arkansas |
| 46 | Oklahoma |
| 47 | Alabama |
| 48 | Texas |
| 49 | Kentucky |
| 50 | Mississippi |
Obesity Impact on Health Insurance Cost
Obesity rates in America have risen steadily, by 34%, over the last two decades. As obesity rates have increased, health insurance premiums have grown exponentially. In 2018, health insurance premiums for single person coverage averaged $6,896, nearly triple the average premium in 2000. Obesity isn't the singular cause of rising health insurance premiums, but as America's obesity rates grow, the billions in healthcare costs will force insurance companies to continually raise their premiums.
Methodology
QuoteWizard analysts compared CDC obesity data along with Body Mass Index (BMI) data from QuoteWizard health insurance users to find an aggregate ranking of fittest and fattest states. Each state was evaluated by their rate of obesity (CDC data) and their average BMI (QuoteWizard data). Final rankings were determined by an aggregate ranking of overall obesity figures. States are ranked from 1 to 50, 1 being fittest and 50 being fattest.
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