Most overweight & obese cities in the U.S

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“WalletHub compared 100 of the most populated U.S. metro areas across 19 key indicators of weight-related problems.”

I was surprised that the first New England major metro was Providence, Rhode Island at #43.

McAllen, Texas ranks #1 with 45% of adults categorized as obese, and another 31% that fall in the overweight category.

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There were some interesting findings, but I have one major issue with the methodology quoted below, and emphasis added:

Methodology

In order to determine the fattest cities in America, WalletHub compared 100 of the most populated U.S. metro areas across three key dimensions: 1) Obesity & Overweight, 2) Health Consequences and 3) Food & Fitness.

They didn’t select the 100 most populated U.S. metros…they selected 100 of the most populated U.S. metros…i.e. they did some cherry-picking. Here’s a spreadsheet from the U.S. Census that has the resident population for U.S. metros: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/tables/2020-2024/metro/totals/cbsa-met-est2024-pop.xlsx

I’m looking at the 2024 population estimates, but the rankings don’t change significantly between 2020 (or the intervening years) and 2024 for most. I didn’t look through all of the cities (particularly not the northeast where it gets super crowded), but I found 22 of their 100 cities are outside of the top 100 metros in the U.S.

  • Dayton, OH: Metro population of 821,740; rank of about #107

  • Colorado Springs, CO: Metro population of about 777,634, rank of about #110

  • Little Rock, AR: Metro population of about 769,258, rank of about #111

  • Provo, UT: Metro population of 760,531, rank of about #113

  • Akron, OH: Metro population of 702,209; rank of about #122

  • Augusta, GA: Metro population of 636,760, rank of about #127

  • Ogden, UT: Metro population of about 667,681, rank of about #123

  • Jackson, MS: Metro population of 606,178, rank of about #130

  • Fayetteville, AR: Metro population of 605,615, rank of about #131

  • Spokane, WA: Metro population of about 604,962, rank of about #132

  • Toledo, OH: Metro population of 601,396; rank of about #133

  • Reno, NV: Metro population of about 575,110; rank of about #136

  • Huntsville, AL: Metro population of about 542,297, rank of about #142

  • Fort Wayne, IN: Metro population of 462,978; rank of about #153

  • Youngstown, OH: Metro poulation of 426,086; rank of about #167

  • Asheville, NC: Metro population of about 422,333, rank of about #168

  • Lafayette, LA: Metro population of 419,704, rank of about #169

  • Myrtle Beach, SC: Metro population of about 413,391, rank of about #171

  • Mobile, AL: Metro population of 412,339, rank of about #172

  • Anchorage, AK: Metro population of 407,213; rank of about #173

  • Canton, OH: Metro popoulation of 400,551; rank of about #175

  • Shreveport, LA: Metro population of 383,269, rank of about #182

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For those who are curious about the top 100 metro areas in 2024, here they are:

  • .New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ Metro Area
  • .Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA Metro Area
  • ..New York-Jersey City-White Plains, NY-NJ Metro Division
  • ..Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA Metro Division
  • .Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN Metro Area
  • .Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Metro Area
  • .Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX Metro Area
  • ..Chicago-Naperville-Schaumburg, IL Metro Division
  • .Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL Metro Area
  • .Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro Area
  • .Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA Metro Area
  • .Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD Metro Area
  • ..Dallas-Plano-Irving, TX Metro Division
  • .Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ Metro Area
  • .Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH Metro Area
  • ..Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA Metro Division
  • .Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA Metro Area
  • .San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA Metro Area
  • .Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI Metro Area
  • .Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA Metro Area
  • .Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI Metro Area
  • .Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL Metro Area
  • .San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA Metro Area
  • ..Arlington-Alexandria-Reston, VA-WV Metro Division
  • ..Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine, CA Metro Division
  • .Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO Metro Area
  • .Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL Metro Area
  • ..Nassau County-Suffolk County, NY Metro Division
  • .Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC Metro Area
  • .Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD Metro Area
  • ..Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall, FL Metro Division
  • ..Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley, CA Metro Division
  • .St. Louis, MO-IL Metro Area
  • .San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX Metro Area
  • ..Fort Worth-Arlington-Grapevine, TX Metro Division
  • ..Warren-Troy-Farmington Hills, MI Metro Division
  • ..Lakewood-New Brunswick, NJ Metro Division
  • .Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Metro Area
  • .Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA Metro Area
  • ..Cambridge-Newton-Framingham, MA Metro Division
  • .Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA Metro Area
  • ..Tampa, FL Metro Division
  • .Pittsburgh, PA Metro Area
  • .Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV Metro Area
  • ..Seattle-Bellevue-Kent, WA Metro Division
  • .Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN Metro Area
  • ..Newark, NJ Metro Division
  • .Kansas City, MO-KS Metro Area
  • .Columbus, OH Metro Area
  • .Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN Metro Area
  • .Cleveland, OH Metro Area
  • ..Philadelphia, PA Metro Division
  • .Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN Metro Area
  • ..Montgomery County-Bucks County-Chester County, PA Metro Division
  • ..Boston, MA Metro Division
  • ..Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach-Sunrise, FL Metro Division
  • .San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA Metro Area
  • ..Washington, DC-MD Metro Division
  • .Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC Metro Area
  • ..Detroit-Dearborn-Livonia, MI Metro Division
  • .Jacksonville, FL Metro Area
  • .Providence-Warwick, RI-MA Metro Area
  • ..West Palm Beach-Boca Raton-Delray Beach, FL Metro Division
  • .Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI Metro Area
  • ..San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City, CA Metro Division
  • .Raleigh-Cary, NC Metro Area
  • .Oklahoma City, OK Metro Area
  • ..Marietta, GA Metro Division
  • .Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN Metro Area
  • ..Frederick-Gaithersburg-Bethesda, MD Metro Division
  • .Richmond, VA Metro Area
  • .Memphis, TN-MS-AR Metro Area
  • ..Camden, NJ Metro Division
  • .Salt Lake City-Murray, UT Metro Area
  • .Birmingham, AL Metro Area
  • .Fresno, CA Metro Area
  • .Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI Metro Area
  • .Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT Metro Area
  • .Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY Metro Area
  • .Tucson, AZ Metro Area
  • .Tulsa, OK Metro Area
  • .Rochester, NY Metro Area
  • .Omaha, NE-IA Metro Area
  • .Urban Honolulu, HI Metro Area
  • .Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC Metro Area
  • .Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT Metro Area
  • .New Orleans-Metairie, LA Metro Area
  • ..St. Petersburg-Clearwater-Largo, FL Metro Division
  • .Knoxville, TN Metro Area
  • ..Tacoma-Lakewood, WA Metro Division
  • .North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL Metro Area
  • .Albuquerque, NM Metro Area
  • .Bakersfield-Delano, CA Metro Area
  • .McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX Metro Area
  • .Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY Metro Area
  • .Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ Metro Area
  • .Baton Rouge, LA Metro Area
  • .Worcester, MA Metro Area
  • .El Paso, TX Metro Area
  • .Columbia, SC Metro Area

In terms of the difference with 2020, Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA was in the top 100 in 2020 but fell off by 2024, replaced by Columbia, SC.

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This isn’t surprising. Many of these cities are located in states that perform poorly in all kinds of ways - health, education etc.

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Colorado is general the leanest state, and Mississippi the most obese year in and year out. What’s interesting though is how it has changed over time. I can’t find the reference, but I remember reading that CO now has the same obesity rate that MS had 25 years ago

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