--- title: Gallup: States with Highest Obesity Rates Are Mississippi, Montana description: In 2013, according to Gallup canonical: https://time.com/12365/these-10-states-have-the-highest-obesity-rates/ author: Olivia B. Waxman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-03-04T17:00:14.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:07:27.369Z og:title: Gallup: States with Highest Obesity Rates Are Mississippi, Montana og:description: In 2013, according to Gallup og:url: https://time.com/12365/these-10-states-have-the-highest-obesity-rates/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltebe119d8afbc3b09/698683d8cd804d54d4cc98f5/101318205.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Man in spotted shorts on scale. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Gallup: States with Highest Obesity Rates Are Mississippi, Montana twitter:description: In 2013, according to Gallup twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltebe119d8afbc3b09/698683d8cd804d54d4cc98f5/101318205.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # These 10 States Have The Highest Obesity Rates  by [Olivia B. Waxman](https://time.com/author/olivia-b-waxman/)  ## Olivia B. Waxman Staff Writer Mar 4, 2014 5:00 PM UTC  Man in spotted shorts on scale. Man in spotted shorts on scale.Peter Cade—Getty Images  by [Olivia B. Waxman](https://time.com/author/olivia-b-waxman/)  ## Olivia B. Waxman Staff Writer Mar 4, 2014 5:00 PM UTC Gallup [reports](http://www.gallup.com/poll/167642/mississippians-obese-montanans-least-obese.aspxn) today that Mississippi boasted the highest obesity rate in the United States last year, while Montana boasted the lowest. **10 States with Highest Obesity Rates** Mississippi: 35.4% West Virginia: 34.4% Delaware: 34.3% Louisiana: 32.7% Arkansas: 32.3% South Carolina: 31.4% Tennessee: 31.3% Ohio: 30.9% Kentucky: 30.6% Oklahoma: 30.5% **10 States with Lowest Obesity Rates** Montana: 19.6% Colorado: 20.4% Nevada: 21.1% Minnesota: 22.0% Massachusetts: 22.2% Connecticut: 23.2% New Mexico: 23.5% California: 23.6% Hawaii: 23.7% New York: 24.0% (**LIST:** [States with Highest Flu Rates](http://newsfeed.time.com/2014/02/28/these-are-the-states-where-you-are-most-likely-to-get-the-flu/)) Since the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index started tracking the obesity rate in 2008, Mississippi, West Virginia, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Kentucky have made the list of the top 10 states with the highest obesity rates, while Colorado, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and California have made the list of the lowest obesity rates. Indeed, southern and midwestern states generally boast the highest levels while northeastern and western states generally boast the lowest. Gallup also [notes](http://www.gallup.com/poll/167642/mississippians-obese-montanans-least-obese.aspx): --- > “” --- The polling company also [wrote](http://www.gallup.com/poll/167642/mississippians-obese-montanans-least-obese.aspx?utm%5Fsource=tagrss&utm%5Fmedium=rss&utm%5Fcampaign=syndication) that in the 10 states with the highest obesity rates, residents are more likely to report that they have a chronic disease like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or depression. The results are based on telephone interviews conducted between Jan. 2, 2013, and Dec. 29, 2013, and a random sample of 178,072 adults aged 18 and older living in the U.S. The margin of sampling error is generally ±1 to ±2 percentage points and can be as high as ±4 points in states with smaller populations. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/12365/these-10-states-have-the-highest-obesity-rates/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/12365/these-10-states-have-the-highest-obesity-rates/"},"headline":"These 10 States Have The Highest Obesity Rates","datePublished":"2014-03-04T17:00:14.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:07:27.369Z","description":"In 2013, according to Gallup","url":"https://time.com/12365/these-10-states-have-the-highest-obesity-rates/","keywords":["Newsfeed","West Virginia","Diet & Fitness","Mississippi","Obesity","Poll","Gallup","Montana"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltebe119d8afbc3b09/698683d8cd804d54d4cc98f5/101318205.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Olivia B. 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