Louisiana Named One of Most Obese States in America, According to New Study

This one probably comes as little surprise to those who have lived in Louisiana for any amount of time. A new study has revealed the top U.S. states facing obesity, with the Bayou State taking the 4th spot.

Now, that's the wrong end of that bad list, by the way. And technically, we're third-worst, because Puerto Rico is at #3, and they're a U.S. territory and not a state.

But we digress.

Who came up with this list and what were the factors used in the rankings?

The research, conducted by Universal Drugstore, analyzed factors like overweight and obesity levels along with childhood obesity and diabetes rates.

Here are the complete rankings (in beautiful map and table form):

One of the metrics Louisiana ranks worst in is the "Obesity Rate," with a whopping 40.1% of the population falling into that category. Only West Virginia is worse with an appalling 41.0%.

This latest report continues a trend for Louisiana ranking high among U.S. states in terms of obesity.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) put out the results of a study last year showing the CDC 2022 Adult Obesity Prevalence Maps for 50 states, the District of Columbia, and 3 U.S. territories.

As you can see in the map below, Louisiana once again ranked badly in that list too.

How much does obesity cost in the U.S.?

Depending on the severity, obesity costs Americans thousands of dollars a year.

For those living with obesity, the costs are $5,010 on average across the country. However, if you were living with class 3 obesity (a BMI of 40 or above), that number shoots up to $8,354.

Then, of course, in some states, it costs way more. California is the most expensive state for those living with obesity. Living in California could mean expenses of around $5,812 per year if you are classified as obese on the BMI scale.