With March being National Nutrition Month and the annual medical cost of obesity reaching close to $200 billion, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2024’s Most Overweight and Obese Cities in the U.S., as well as expert commentary. The report highlights the places where residents are in the most danger of weight-related health conditions, and thus need to improve their exercise and diet.
In order to call attention to the communities where weight-related problems are most prevalent, WalletHub compared 100 of the most populated U.S. metro areas across 19 key metrics. Our data set ranges from the share of physically inactive adults to projected obesity rates by 2030 to healthy-food access.
| Most Overweight & Obese Cities | ||
| 1. McAllen, TX | 11. Birmingham, AL | |
| 2. Jackson, MS | 12. Columbia, SC | |
| 3. Shreveport, LA | 13. Oklahoma City, OK | |
| 4. Mobile, AL | 14. Tulsa, OK | |
| 5. Little Rock, AR | 15. Fayetteville, AR | |
| 6. Knoxville, TN | 16. Augusta, GA | |
| 7. Memphis, TN | 17. New Orleans, LA | |
| 8. Lafayette, LA | 18. Canton, OH | |
| 9. Baton Rouge, LA | 19. Wichita, KS | |
| 10. Chattanooga, TN | 20. Youngstown, OH |
Key Stats
- The McAllen, Texas, metro area has the highest share of obese adults, which is 2.4 times higher than in Asheville, North Carolina, the metro area with the lowest.
- The McAllen, Texas, metro area has the highest share of physically inactive adults, which is 2.4 times higher than in Provo, Utah, the metro area with the lowest.
- The Mobile, Alabama, metro area has the highest share of diabetic adults, which is 2.3 times higher than in Denver, Colorado and Bridgeport, Connecticut, the metro areas with the lowest.
- The Shreveport, Louisiana, metro area has the highest share of adults with high blood pressure, which is 1.8 times higher than in San Jose, California, the metro area with the lowest.
