American Obesity Association


		Finally A Cure for Obesity!

Search

AOA Career Center About AOA Our Sponsors Press Room Contact Us

Education

Research

Prevention

Treatment

Consumer Protection

Discrimination


	AOA Fact Sheets

Overweight and Obesity in U.S. Cities

Obesity (Body Mass Index of 30 or more)

Table 1. Cities with the Highest Rate of Obesity among Adults
Cities	Rate (%)
San Antonio, TX	31.1
Gary, IN	28.8
Jackson, MS	27.6
Fort Wayne, In	27.3
Shreveport-Bossier City, LA	28.7

Table 2. Cities with the Lowest Rate of Obesity among Adults
Cities	Rate (%)
Denver, CO	14.2
Portland, ME	15.0
Santa Fe, NM	15.1
Burlington, VT	15.8
Bergen-Passaic, NJ	16.1

Source for Tables 1 to 4. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2002. CDC, for these statistics, defines a city as a "metropolitan area or core area containing a large population nucleus together with adjacent communities that have a high degree of economic and social integration with that core."

Overweight (Body Mass Index of 25 or more)

Table 3. Cities with the Highest Rate of Overweight Adults
Cities	Rate (%)
Charleston, WV	67.8
San Antonio, TX	65.0
San Diego, CA	64.8
Tulsa, OK	64.4
Jackson, MS	63.1

Table 4. Cities with the Lowest Rate of Overweight Adults
Cities	Rate (%)
Portland, ME	49.3
Burlington, VT	49.3
Rapid City, SD	51.0
Honolulu, HI	51.2
Provo-Orem, UT	51.8

Overweight (Defined by Environmental Factors)

Table 5. Cities with Highest Rating
	2005	2004	2003	2002	2001	2000
1.	Houston, TX	Detroit, MI	Houston, TX	Houston, TX	Houston, TX	Philadelphia, PA
2.	Philadelphia, PA	Houston, TX	Chicago, IL	Chicago, IL	Detroit, MI	Kansas City, MO
3.	Detroit, MI	Dallas, TX	Detroit, MI	Detroit, MI	Philadelphia, PA	Houston, TX
4.	Memphis, TN	San Antonio, TX	Philadelphia, PA	Philadelphia, PA	New Orleans, LA	Indianapolis, IN
5.	Chicago, IL	Chicago, IL	St. Louis, MO	Dallas, TX	Columbus, OH	New Orleans, LA
6.	Dallas, TX	Fort Worth, TX	Cleveland, OH	Columbus, OH	Mesa, AZ	Chicago, IL
7.	New Orleans, LA	Philadelphia, PA	Atlanta, GA	San Antonio, TX	Kansas City, MO	Detroit, MI
8.	New York, NY	Arlington, TX	Columbus, OH	Fort Worth, TX	Phoenix, AZ	Columbus, OH
9.	Las Vegas, NV	Cleveland, OH	Dallas, TX	St. Louis, MO	Cleveland, OH	Memphis, TN
10.	San Antonio, TX	Columbus, OH	Charlotte, NC	Indianapolis, IN	Chicago, IL	Omaha, NE
11.	El Paso, TX	Atlanta, GA	New Orleans, LA	Tulsa, OK	Fort Worth, TX	El Paso, TX
12.	Phoenix, AZ	Mesa, AZ	Indianapolis, IN	Atlanta, GA	New York, NY	Nashville, TN
13.	Indianapolis, IN	Oklahoma City, OK	San Antonio, TX	Cleveland, OH	Indianapolis, IN	Oklahoma City, OK
14.	Fort Worth, TX	Kansas City, KS	Phoenix, AZ	El Paso, TX	Memphis, TN	Pittsburgh, PA
15.	Mesa, AZ	Miami, FL	New York, NY	Miami, FL	El Paso, TX	Dallas, TX
16.	Columbus, OH	Las Vegas, NV	Fort Worth, TX	New York, NY	Dallas, TX	San Antonio, TX
17.	Wichita, KS	Indianapolis, IN	El Paso, TX	Kansas City, MO	Miami, FL	Cleveland, OH
18.	Kansas City, KS	Phoenix, AZ	Las Vegas, NV	Phoenix, AZ	Atlanta, GA	Baltimore, MD
19.	Miami, FL	Tulsa, OK	Mesa, AZ	Baltimore, MD	Las Vegas, NV	St. Louis, MO
20	Long Beach, FL	Memphis, TN	Baltimore, MD	New Orleans, LA	Pittsburgh, PA	New York, NY
21.	Oklahoma City, OK	New York, NY	Milwaukee, WI	Charlotte, NC	Nashville, TN	Las Vegas, NV
22.	Tulsa, OK	New Orleans, LA	Kansas City, MO	Milwaukee, WI	Milwaukee, WI	Fort Worth, TX
23.	Atlanta, GA	Baltimore, MD	Oklahoma, OK	Las Vegas, NV	Tulsa, OK	Milwaukee, WI
24.	Charlotte, NC	El Paso, TX	Miami, FL	Mesa, AZ	Wichita, KS	Jacksonville, FL
25.	Baltimore, MD	Washington, DC	Washington, DC	Wichita, KS	Charlotte, NC	Sacramento, CA
Source: Men's Fitness. 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001 & 2000. U.S. Census Bureau statistics were used to determine the most populated U.S. cities at the time of the survey. Fourteen categories were used as "indicators, risk factors or relevant environmental determinants affecting fitness, obesity and health."