Obesity remains high in the US., but more states are showing progress, a
new report finds
[October 16, 2025]
By JONEL ALECCIA
For the first time in more than a decade, the number of states with
rates of obesity of 35% or more dropped, an encouraging sign that
America's epidemic of excess weight might be improving. But cuts to
federal staff and programs that address chronic disease could endanger
that progress, according to a new report released Thursday.
Nineteen states had obesity rates of 35% or higher in 2024, down from 23
states the year before, according to an analysis of the latest data
collected by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The
CDC data was analyzed by the nonprofit group Trust for America's Health.
The group’s analysis follows a CDC report last year that found that the
overall rate of obesity in the U.S. is high but holding steady,
affecting about 40% of the population.
While the decline is positive, “it's too soon to call it a trend,” said
Dr. J. Nadine Gracia, president and chief executive for TFAH.
And with recent federal funding cuts, staff layoffs and eliminated
programs, “this potential progress is also at risk,” Gracia said.
A U.S. Health and Human Services Department spokesman said in an email
that the administration is “encouraged by the new data showing progress
in the fight against obesity."
“We are restructuring public health programs to eliminate waste, reduce
bureaucracy, and redirect resources toward real prevention,” said
spokesman Andrew Nixon.
The latest report analyzed data from the CDC's 2024 Behavioral Risk
Factor Surveillance System, which uses annual telephone surveys to
collect data on health behaviors and chronic conditions in U.S. states
and territories.
It showed that 19 states had obesity rates among adults of 35% or
higher, 22 states had rates between 30% and 35% and nine states had
obesity rates of below 30%. The rates varied from a low of 25% in
Colorado to a high of more than 40% in West Virginia.
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 Between 2023 and 2024, no state had
statistically significant increases or decreases in their obesity
rates, after 18 states saw significant increases in the previous
five years, the report found.
Before 2013, no state had an adult obesity prevalence at or above
35%, By 2019, a dozen states had rates that high — and the number
continued to climb.
In adults, obesity is defined as having a body mass index of 30 or
higher. Body mass index is a calculation based on height and weight.
Obesity is a chronic disease linked to a host of serious health
problems including diabetes, stroke, cancer and heart disease.
It's not clear exactly what may be driving the apparent improvements
in obesity. Wider use of drugs such as Wegovy and Zepbound — which
target appetite and slow digestion — could be starting to show up in
reported data, said Aviva Musicus, a science director for the Center
for Science in the Public Interest, an advocacy group. Increased
support for nutrition assistance programs during the COVID-19
pandemic might also be a factor, she suggested.
The report also details a broad range of federal, state and local
efforts that focus on improving nutrition and boosting physical
activity, said Solveig Cunningham, an Emory University global health
expert who specializes in obesity.
“I think the report would argue that some of these interventions may
actually be successful,” said Cunningham, who was not involved with
the research. “That would suggest that there are possibly ways in
which we could prevent obesity at the population level, which would
be a really, really big deal.”
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