These Are the Fattest Cities in America
America needs to lose some weight. Nearly 38 percent of American adults are obese, and one-third of the country is unhealthily overweight. But as new data from WalletHub shows, our weight problem is definitely regional. WalletHub calculated the “fattest cities in America” using data for obesity and overweight percentages, as well as ranks for weight-related health issues and healthy environment.
Overall, the fattest city in America is Jackson, Mississippi. (Mississippi as a whole has been called the fattest and most out-of-shape state in other reports.) The lowest percentage of overweight adults can be found in Knoxville, Tennessee, while Memphis, strangely enough, is the second-fattest city in America. Talk about a paradoxical state!
The fattest cities in America are listed below:
Jackson, Mississippi
Memphis, Tennessee
Little Rock, Arkansas
McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, Texas
Shreveport-Bossier City, Louisiana
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Mobile, Alabama
Lafayette, Louisiana
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Columbia, South Carolina
Obesity and poverty are closely related. McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, Texas, is not only the seventh-fattest city in America, it is also the third-poorest, according to recent census data. Mississippi, which is home to the highest rate of obesity in the nation, also has the highest poverty level.