By BlackDoctor.org
The numbers are in!
The personal finance website WalletHub decided to analyze where exactly all that excess weight resides and which U.S. metro areas appear to be doing little in the way of helping stem the tide of obesity. Analysts for the site examined population data from the top 100 U.S. metropolitan areas, comparing them across a total of 17 different metrics, ultimately rating each in three major categories: obese and overweight population, health problems based on weight, and healthy environments. Information sources included the Centers for Disease Control, the Department of Agriculture, the Trust for America’s Health, and other WalletHub proprietary research.
So without further ado, here are the cities where you need to loosen your belt a little bit because your belly may be a little big bigger (smile).
10. Knoxville, TN
9. Winston-Salem, NC
8. Lafayette, LA
7. Mobile, AL
6. Chattanooga, TN-GA
5. Shreveport-Bossier City, LA
4. McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX
One of the glaring results of the study points to the South — 19 of the top 20 overweight metro areas are below the Mason-Dixon Line. “Several southern metro areas have some of the highest obesity and overweight rates in the country, which snowball into some alarming health issues like heart disease, diabetes and shorter life expectancy overall.
Major contributors to this trend are food desserts, and a lack of resource that prevent them from having an active lifestyle such as community centers, gyms, and active lifestyle groups.
The top three cities are a little surprising this year with some new cities making the list:
3. Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR
2. Memphis, TN
and the number one fattest city is (drumroll please)
1. Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson also ranks high in heart attacks.
Here is the rest of the list from skinniest to fattest. Take a look and see if your city is on here as well.
Columbia, SC
Greenville-Anderson-Mauldin, SC
Birmingham-Hoover, AL
San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX
Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN
Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
Oklahoma City, OK
Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC
Baton Rouge, LA
Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN
El Paso, TX
Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN
Tulsa, OK
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
Toledo, OH
Huntsville, AL
Greensboro-High Point, NC
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI
Columbus, OH
Canton-Massillon, OH
Wichita, KS
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC
Lexington-Fayette, KY
Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR-MO
Fort Wayne, IN
Charleston-North Charleston, SC
New Orleans-Metairie, LA
Jacksonville, FL
Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI
Richmond, VA
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ
Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, OH-PA
Asheville, NC
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
Scranton–Wilkes-Barre–Hazleton, PA
Dayton, OH
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA
Worcester, MA-CT
Raleigh, NC
Kansas City, MO-KS
Albuquerque, NM
Akron, OH
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI
Providence-Warwick, RI-MA
Springfield, MA
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD
Portland-South Portland, ME
Anchorage, AK
Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA
Manchester-Nashua, NH
Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
New Haven-Milford, CT
Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC
Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT
Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC
Austin-Round Rock, TX
St. Louis, MO-IL
Ogden-Clearfield, UT
Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL
Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV
Tucson, AZ
Cleveland-Elyria, OH
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
Pittsburgh, PA
Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT
Salt Lake City, UT
Provo-Orem, UT
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL
San Diego-Carlsbad, CA
Reno, NV
Boise, ID
Sacramento–Roseville–Arden-Arcade, CA
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA
Honolulu, HI
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH
Colorado Springs, CO
Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA
