According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, America suffers from obesity as nearly 42% of US adults are obese.
Whether this is due to a shortage of healthy foods or easy access to education and fast food, obesity-related healthcare costs in the United States have increased to $190.2 billion, the National League of City recently reported.
A new Wallethub survey compared the 100 most populous metropolitan areas with 19 key indicators of weight-related issues to determine which US cities are the most overweight and obese in 2025.
Consumption of fresh foods can help solve diet-related illnesses: Experts
The analysis then ranked each city in three dimensions: obesity and overweight, health effects, and food and fitness.
“Obesity is becoming more and more popular and has been a huge success for us,” said Chip Lupo, an analyst at South Carolina-based Wallethub, in a statement.
The Wallethub dataset for this study ranged from “shares of physically inactive adults to predict obesity rates by 2030 to healthy food access.” (istock)
“In the most overweight and obese cities, residents often don’t have easy access to healthy food and recreational opportunities, so investing in these areas should help improve people’s diet and exercise regimen and reduce their financial burden.”
Obesity is defined by the CDC as having a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher. Severe obesity defines a BMI of 40 or higher.
The next city was the top of the country’s overweight.
1. McAllen, Texas
McAllen, Texas, has the second-lowest percentage of residents living near parks and recreational facilities, Wallethub found. (istock)
McAllen, Texas, ranks number one as the most overweight city in America.
Hidalgo County came first overall, with the highest percentage of obese adults (45%) and physically inactive adults.
McAllen ranked third in food and fitness, especially obesity and overweight. It also marks the fifth point regarding health effects.
The study also found that 31% of McAllen adults are overweight but not obese.
Use these smart training tips to fit in your 40s and up
Texas City has the second highest share of obese teenagers, with the analysis found, and the fifth highest number of obese children.
“McAllen residents are highly affected by illnesses related to unhealthy weight-related,” exclaimed Woretub.
“For example, the city has the eighth highest share and the fourth highest cardiac rate of people with diabetes.”
2. Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock, Arkansas is projected to have the second highest obesity rate in 2030. (istock)
Little Rock, Arkansas, ranks as the second-overweight city in America.
Arkansas capital ranked fourth in health impacts, fifth in obesity and overweight, and seventh in food and fitness.
According to Wallethub, the city is the fourth-highest rate of obese children aged 10-17, nearly 23%, with a higher rate of teens obesity.
Push-ups by age: Here are the number of people you should be able to do
Little Rock residents struggle with weight-related conditions at the fourth highest rate of hypertension and the fifth highest rate of heart disease.
The city has the second lowest number of health educators per capita. This study restricts access to health foods.
“Little Rock has the second highest predicted obesity rate in 2030, so there will remain problems in the foreseeable future,” predicted Worettob.
3. Jackson, Mississippi
“The lack of exercise regularly is a big reason why many Jackson residents are overweight and obese,” Wallethub writes. (istock)
Jackson, Mississippi, came in third overall, but ranked number one in the benchmark for obesity and overweight.
The city also has the second highest percentage of physically inactive adults. This was a “big reason” that many residents were overweight and obese.
Click here to sign up for our health newsletter
Approximately 37% of Jackson adults are obese, and the obesity rate is also high among teenagers.
Of the conditions, the city is the second highest percentage of residents who have suffered strokes and has the sixth highest rate of hypertension.
Wallethub added that many Jackson residents do not have easy access to healthy foods.
Obesity is defined by the CDC as having a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher. Severe obesity defines a BMI of 40 or higher. (istock)
In a statement, Dr. Christina Palacios, professor and chairman of the Department of Nutrition and Nutrition at Florida International University, stressed the importance of maintaining a healthy diet due to weight.
For health articles, please visit foxnews.com/health
“My suggestion is to look at what we eat and drink critically and plan ways to slowly improve it, and improve our diet,” she said. “It’s very difficult to change everything at once. Take one action and implement it.”
“You can start by eating all your meals with water instead of juice, soda, etc,” she said.
Click here to get the Fox News app
“This may take a while as many people are used to drinking sweets, but this is a powerful first step because the calories from the drink are not registered by our brains and we can drink many calories later in the day without compensation.”
