Ranking America’s Most Obese Cities

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There is no secret that the United States overall has an obesity problem. According to a new report from the financial website WalletHub, the cost for America’s fight with obesity costs nearly $316 billion per year in medical bills.

More than a third of U.S. adults are obese (36.5%), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Obesity in children and adolescents between the ages 2 of 19 sits at 17%.

For Latinos, the problem is at an epidemic level. Nearly 40% of Latino children are overweight or obese (higher rates than both white and black children), placing a significant burden on the current and future state of Latino health.

According to WalletHub, more than 70 percent of Americans (age 15 and older) are overweight or obese.


In order to reduce health disparities, it is critical to address inequities in programs, practices, and policies. Join our site, connect with others, and get involved.


As part of its analysis, WalletHub has ranked the “2017 Fattest Cities in America,” in which it looked at the 100 most populated metro areas in the country. There were 17 factors that were considered for the rankings, including the “share of physically inactive adults to projected obesity rates by 2030 to healthy-food access.”

In a not too surprising of an outcome, the South was once again widely represented on the list. The city of Jackson, MS (1.52% Latino population) came in first on the list as the most obese city in the country. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA (10% Latino population) had the lowest ranking on the list.

Rounding out the top five most obese cities were Memphis, TN, Little Rock-North-Little Rock-Conway, AR, McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX, and Shreveport, Bossier City, LA.

The report does not go into details on the “whys” of the surging numbers in obesity. Salud America! has chronicled many of the causes for Latino children in our research packages: Active SpacesBetter Food in the Neighborhood, Sugary Drinks, Healthier Schools, and Healthy Weight.

You can read the full listing and report here.

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