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By Matthew Rees

Food and Health Fact #106: Rising obesity prevalence throughout the United States

Find all previously published facts here.

In 2020, the adult obesity rate was at or above 35 percent in 16 U.S. states. As recently as 2012, no state was at 35 percent. That information is contained in a recent report by Trust for America’s Health. There are several other notable data points (all pre-Covid) from the United States contained in the report:

• Between 1976–80 and 2017–18, the obesity rate tripled among children ages 2 to 19. Among those ages 12 to 19, the obesity rate quadrupled.

• Latino children have the highest obesity rate (25.6 percent), followed by black children (24.2 percent), white children (16.1 percent), and Asian children (8.7 percent).

• Mississippi has the highest adult obesity rate and highest share of the population that is obese or overweight (72.8 percent).

• Nationwide, adult obesity rates are 19 percent higher in rural regions than in metro areas.

• Among adults with less than a high school education, the obesity rate is 35.6 percent, compared with 22.7 percent among college graduates.

  Blacks have the highest adult obesity rate (49.6 percent), followed by Latinos (44.8 percent), whites (42.2 person), and Asians (17.4 percent). Black women have the highest obesity rate among any demographic subgroup (56.9 percent).