The 10 cities with the highest obesity rates in the US

The extra pounds are weighing on our country, pushing for healthier lifestyles to lower rates

By Jasmine McClain
Apr 05, 2023
8:49 am

America has the most significant number of obese people in the world, with over 40 percent of the U.S. population designated as having abnormal or excessive fat accumulation according to medical statistics. Fast food consumption and a lack of physical activity contribute to the alarming number of more than 133,000,000 falling into the obesity category will continue to impact individual and community health if the issues is not addressed promptly.

Some areas of the country have more obese individuals than others. A recent WalletHub study released data comparing 100 of the most populated areas in the United States to critical weight-related problems and narrowed it down to the most obese cities.

Rankings for the top 10 cities with the highest obesity populations include: McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, Texas;, Memphis, Tennessee; Mobile, Alabama; Knoxville, Tennessee; Jackson, Mississippi; Chattanooga, Tennessee; Little Rock, Arkansas; Shreveport-Bossier City, Louisiana; Birmingham, Alabama, and Columbia, South Carolina.

Fitness expert and nutritionist Ashley Hicks shared expert advice on fighting obesity through a multipronged approach. “There’s a huge misconception when it comes to eating healthy, and it costs more to have an unhealthy diet in the long run,” Hicks explained to combat the idea that healthy eating is less affordable.

What are some mistakes you’ve seen that people make when trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle?

Shopping above your means. We have aesthetically pleasing and costly grocery stores. Everybody wants to go to Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s. But you might need to be at Sprout’s or Aldi for the $80 you have budgeted for your food. I love all of those grocery stores, but I understand that certain grocery stores have better choices or a better produce selection. Also, knowing that everything they tay is healthy isn’t necessarily beneficial. Look at the ingredients. Go to your local farmers market. Pick up [and] support their business … that also helps you save money.

What would you like to see for the future of our country regarding fighting obesity?

Obesity benefits the country. Cancer benefits the country; having somebody on medication and sustaining their high blood pressure for decades helps the country. We get a lot of money because people are sick. They’re sick enough to live, and they milk them just enough so they don’t die. The biggest thing we have to understand when it comes to voting, who you’re voting for matters when they’re feeding your children. I have a three-year-old, so there are certain foods like fruit and vegetables that we try to sneak in, but some parents don’t have the luxury to tell the schools what they want their children to eat. Changing the food where kids spend two-thirds of their day right is a good start. There needs to be an initiative to not only have … a nutrition class but to be required to go to PE, not just graduate.