Each year, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) compiles data on obesity rates in the United States. State health departments use standard procedures to collect data through a series of monthly telephone interviews with U.S. adults. Obesity is determined by using height and weight information to calculate a number called the “body mass index” (BMI). An adult who has a BMI of 30 or higher is considered obese. Following is a list of the states with the LOWEST percentage of the adult population who are obese with the percent in parentheses.

The top 10 leanest states in America are:

1. Colorado (18.7% of adults are obese)
2. Connecticut (21.2%)
3. Massachusetts (21.3%)
4. Vermont (21.3%)
5. Hawaii (21.4%)
6. Rhode Island (21.4%)
7. Washington DC (21.8%)
8. Montana (21.8%)
9. Utah (21.8%)
10. California (22.6%)

For information on how to achieve and maintain a healthy weight, see the Healia Health Guide on Weight Management. If you have questions about your weight and how it affects your health, or to find support from others who are also struggling with weight management, join the Healia Health Community on Obesity and Overweight.


_{Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Survey Data. Atlanta, Georgia: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, [2007].}

_{Photo: Alpha TangoBravo, Flickr, Creative Commons}