Obesity Trends Among U.S. Adults Between 1985 and 2010

  • During the past 20 years, there has been a dramatic increase in obesity in the United States. In 1985, only a few states were participating in CDC’s BRFSS and providing obesity data.
  • In 1990, among states participating in the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, ten states had a prevalence of obesity less than 10% and no states had prevalence equal to or greater than 15%.
  • In 1991, 4 states had obesity prevalence rates of 15-19 percent and no states had rates at or above 20 percent.
  • By 1999, no state had prevalence less than 10%, 18 states had a prevalence of obesity between 20-24%, and no state had prevalence equal to or greater than 25%.
  • In 2003, 15 states had prevalence rates of 15-19 percent; 31 states had rates of 20-24 percent; and 4 states had rates of more than 25 percent.
  • In 2008, only one state (Colorado) had a prevalence of obesity less than 20%. Thirty-two states had a prevalence equal to or greater than 25%; six of these states (Alabama, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia ) had a prevalence of obesity equal to or greater than 30%.
  • In 2010, no state had a prevalence of obesity of less than 20%.  36 states had a prevalence equal to or greater than 25%; 12 of these states had a prevalence equal to or greater than 30%.(5)

PowerPoint Slideshow of Obesity Trends in the U.S. from 1985 to 2010

Source: The data shown in these maps were collected through CDC’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS).