--- title: Gallup Survey: Delaware Worst State for Exercise, Vermont the Best description: A new Gallup survey finds that people in Delaware and West Virginia are the least likeliest Americans to take exercising seriously. Their counterparts? Vermont and Hawaii, where 65 percent of their state populations get active at least three days a week canonical: https://time.com/18204/the-worst-states-for-exercise/ author: Alexandra Sifferlin article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-03-10T15:36:47.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-21T06:40:45.033Z article:section: Health og:title: The worst states to live in for exercise og:description: A new Gallup survey finds that people in Delaware and West Virginia are the least likeliest Americans to take exercising seriously. Their counterparts? Vermont and Hawaii, where 65 percent of their state populations get active at least three days a week og:url: https://time.com/18204/the-worst-states-for-exercise/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3d7c755f6c9f1821/698684b655a859052aa7f9f5/200009957-001.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5260 og:image:height: 2959 og:image:alt: Running og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The worst states to live in for exercise twitter:description: A new Gallup survey finds that people in Delaware and West Virginia are the least likeliest Americans to take exercising seriously. Their counterparts? Vermont and Hawaii, where 65 percent of their state populations get active at least three days a week twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3d7c755f6c9f1821/698684b655a859052aa7f9f5/200009957-001.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The Worst States for Exercise > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Health Matters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Health Matters is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The latest health news and expert advice on living well. Health Matters makes the fast-moving world of health more useful, surprising and human, from the latest science and medical breakthroughs to practical ideas for living better. 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Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Mar 10, 2014 3:36 PM UTC  Woman running, sunset Woman running, sunset Getty Images by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Mar 10, 2014 3:36 PM UTC Residents of states like Delaware and West Virginia are the least likely in the nation to take exercising seriously, [according to a new Gallup survey](http://www.gallup.com/poll/167645/vermont-no-frequent-exercise-produce-consumption.aspx?utm%5Fsource=tagrss&utm%5Fmedium=rss&utm%5Fcampaign=syndication). Declared the worst state for exercise, only 46.5% of Delaware inhabitants are likely to exercise for 30 or more minutes three days a week or more. Compare that to Vermont lovers, 65.3% of whom report exercising a minimum of three days a week for 30 minutes each, followed by Hawaii-dwellers (62.2%). Some might say those states, which are recognized for their wealth of outdoor activities, have a natural advantage. Here are the 10 worst states for exercise (% exercising 3+ days a week): 1\. Delaware 46.5% 2\. West Virginia 47.1% 3\. Alabama 47.5% 4\. New Jersey 47.7% 5\. Rhode Island 48.2% 6\. Tennessee 49.2% 7\. New York 49.3% 8\. Ohio 49.3% 9\. Indiana 49.4% 10\. South Carolina 49.7% And these are the 10 best states for exercise (% exercising 3+ days a week): 1\. Vermont 65.3% 2\. Hawaii 62.2% 3\. Montana 60.1% 4\. Alaska 60.1% 5\. Colorado 59.8% 6\. Oregon 58.0% 7\. Idaho 57.7% 8\. New Mexico 57.4% 9\. Nebraska 56.3% 10\. North Dakota 56.0% Vermont also tops the poll of states most likely to eat produce, while Oklahoma is the least likely to do a good job at eating greens. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/18204/the-worst-states-for-exercise/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/18204/the-worst-states-for-exercise/"},"headline":"The Worst States for Exercise","datePublished":"2014-03-10T15:36:47.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T06:40:45.033Z","description":"A new Gallup survey finds that people in Delaware and West Virginia are the least likeliest Americans to take exercising seriously. Their counterparts? 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