The US has two very different ways of counting obesity. The BRFSS phone survey asks adults in every state their height and weight every year — big enough to give a rate for every state. The NHANES survey sends trained staff to actually measure a much smaller national sample — accurate, but too small for state rates. Comparing the two at national level shows how far self-reports fall short.
“Current estimates are based on body measures reported by persons themselves that underestimate the prevalence of obesity, especially severe obesity.”
How to use the estimator
- Pick a state from the list.
- The left number is the state’s official self-reported rate for its latest year.
- The right numbers are our rough range for what a measured survey might find, using the national gap described below.
- Scroll down to compare every state at once.
A worked example: the whole country
In 2025, 33.5% of US adults reported a height and weight in the obesity range. Over the survey periods where both surveys ran, measured rates were between 7.3 and 10.8 percentage points higher than self-reported ones. Adding that gap gives a likely measured rate of about 40.8% to 44.3%.
For comparison, the most recent measured national result is 40.3% for Aug 2021–Aug 2023, when self-reports for the same years averaged 33.0%. The measured rate is the one closer to the truth, which is why the self-reported state rates below are probably too low.
How we estimate the gap
For each NHANES survey period from 2011–2012 to Aug 2021–Aug 2023, we take the measured share of adults with obesity (crude, not age-adjusted, to match BRFSS) and subtract the average BRFSS national self-reported rate for the same calendar years. BRFSS data on this site starts in 2011, so earlier periods are left out.
How much higher measured obesity is than self-reported
What this means: In every period, measured obesity was higher — by 7.3 to 10.8 percentage points.
- 2011–20127.6 pts
- 2013–20149.3 pts
- 2015–201610.5 pts
- 2017–March 202010.8 pts
- Aug 2021–Aug 20237.3 pts
Show the numbers as a table
| Survey period | Measured (NHANES) | Self-reported (BRFSS) | Gap (points) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011–2012 | 35.1% | 27.5% | 7.6 |
| 2013–2014 | 37.9% | 28.6% | 9.3 |
| 2015–2016 | 39.8% | 29.2% | 10.5 |
| 2017–March 2020 | 41.9% | 31.1% | 10.8 |
| Aug 2021–Aug 2023 | 40.3% | 33.0% | 7.3 |
Gap = NHANES measured (adults 20+) minus BRFSS self-reported (adults 18+), national, crude.
A state’s likely measured range is its latest self-reported rate plus the smallest and the largest of these gaps. We show a range, not a single number, because the gap moves from one survey period to the next.
What this estimate can’t tell you
- It assumes every state under-reports by the same amount as the nation. In reality the gap probably differs by state, age, sex and other factors.
- The age groups differ slightly. NHANES counts adults 20 and over; BRFSS counts adults 18 and over.
- It projects forward. The latest measured period ended in 2023; applying the gap to later years assumes it hasn’t changed.
- It is not an official statistic. CDC publishes the self-reported rates. The range is our own simple calculation from CDC’s published numbers.
Researchers have built more careful corrections — the study quoted above, for example, adjusts separately at each part of the BMI range. Ours is deliberately simple, so you can check every step in the table above. Read more on how the data is collected.
Use the range to understand the size of the problem, not to rank states precisely — many state ranges overlap.
Every state, reported and likely measured
Sorted from highest to lowest self-reported rate. The dot is what people reported; the bar is the likely measured range.
- Mississippi40.4 → 47.7–51.2
- Alabama39.7 → 47.0–50.5
- Guam39.6 → 46.9–50.4
- North Dakota39.1 → 46.4–49.9
- Kentucky38.8 → 46.1–49.6
- Oklahoma38.1 → 45.4–48.9
- Tennessee37.9 → 45.2–48.7
- Virgin Islands37.7 → 45.0–48.5
- Indiana37.5 → 44.8–48.3
- West Virginia37.4 → 44.7–48.2
- Kansas37.3 → 44.6–48.1
- Iowa36.9 → 44.2–47.7
- Arkansas36.7 → 44.0–47.5
- Missouri36.6 → 43.9–47.4
- Wisconsin36.6 → 43.9–47.4
- South Carolina36.5 → 43.8–47.3
- Delaware36.3 → 43.6–47.1
- Texas36.1 → 43.4–46.9
- Nebraska36.0 → 43.3–46.8
- Ohio36.0 → 43.3–46.8
- Georgia35.9 → 43.2–46.7
- Puerto Rico35.9 → 43.2–46.7
- Louisiana35.6 → 42.9–46.4
- New Mexico35.3 → 42.6–46.1
- Michigan35.1 → 42.4–45.9
- South Dakota34.3 → 41.6–45.1
- Nevada34.2 → 41.5–45.0
- Virginia34.2 → 41.5–45.0
- Illinois33.7 → 41.0–44.5
- North Carolina33.5 → 40.8–44.3
- Pennsylvania33.5 → 40.8–44.3
- Maryland33.1 → 40.4–43.9
- Minnesota33.1 → 40.4–43.9
- Alaska33.0 → 40.3–43.8
- Maine33.0 → 40.3–43.8
- Oregon32.7 → 40.0–43.5
- Idaho32.6 → 39.9–43.4
- Wyoming32.6 → 39.9–43.4
- Arizona32.3 → 39.6–43.1
- New Hampshire31.6 → 38.9–42.4
- Rhode Island31.3 → 38.6–42.1
- Washington31.0 → 38.3–41.8
- Connecticut30.4 → 37.7–41.2
- Montana30.3 → 37.6–41.1
- Florida30.0 → 37.3–40.8
- Utah29.8 → 37.1–40.6
- California29.1 → 36.4–39.9
- Vermont29.1 → 36.4–39.9
- New York28.5 → 35.8–39.3
- Massachusetts27.0 → 34.3–37.8
- New Jersey27.0 → 34.3–37.8
- Hawaii26.4 → 33.7–37.2
- Colorado25.7 → 33.0–36.5
- District of Columbia24.2 → 31.5–35.0
Show the numbers as a table
| State | Year | Self-reported | Likely measured |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 2025 | 39.7% | 47.0%–50.5% |
| Alaska | 2025 | 33.0% | 40.3%–43.8% |
| Arizona | 2025 | 32.3% | 39.6%–43.1% |
| Arkansas | 2025 | 36.7% | 44.0%–47.5% |
| California | 2024 | 29.1% | 36.4%–39.9% |
| Colorado | 2025 | 25.7% | 33.0%–36.5% |
| Connecticut | 2025 | 30.4% | 37.7%–41.2% |
| Delaware | 2025 | 36.3% | 43.6%–47.1% |
| District of Columbia | 2025 | 24.2% | 31.5%–35.0% |
| Florida | 2025 | 30.0% | 37.3%–40.8% |
| Georgia | 2025 | 35.9% | 43.2%–46.7% |
| Guam | 2025 | 39.6% | 46.9%–50.4% |
| Hawaii | 2025 | 26.4% | 33.7%–37.2% |
| Idaho | 2025 | 32.6% | 39.9%–43.4% |
| Illinois | 2025 | 33.7% | 41.0%–44.5% |
| Indiana | 2025 | 37.5% | 44.8%–48.3% |
| Iowa | 2025 | 36.9% | 44.2%–47.7% |
| Kansas | 2025 | 37.3% | 44.6%–48.1% |
| Kentucky | 2025 | 38.8% | 46.1%–49.6% |
| Louisiana | 2025 | 35.6% | 42.9%–46.4% |
| Maine | 2025 | 33.0% | 40.3%–43.8% |
| Maryland | 2025 | 33.1% | 40.4%–43.9% |
| Massachusetts | 2025 | 27.0% | 34.3%–37.8% |
| Michigan | 2025 | 35.1% | 42.4%–45.9% |
| Minnesota | 2025 | 33.1% | 40.4%–43.9% |
| Mississippi | 2024 | 40.4% | 47.7%–51.2% |
| Missouri | 2025 | 36.6% | 43.9%–47.4% |
| Montana | 2025 | 30.3% | 37.6%–41.1% |
| Nebraska | 2025 | 36.0% | 43.3%–46.8% |
| Nevada | 2024 | 34.2% | 41.5%–45.0% |
| New Hampshire | 2025 | 31.6% | 38.9%–42.4% |
| New Jersey | 2025 | 27.0% | 34.3%–37.8% |
| New Mexico | 2025 | 35.3% | 42.6%–46.1% |
| New York | 2025 | 28.5% | 35.8%–39.3% |
| North Carolina | 2025 | 33.5% | 40.8%–44.3% |
| North Dakota | 2025 | 39.1% | 46.4%–49.9% |
| Ohio | 2025 | 36.0% | 43.3%–46.8% |
| Oklahoma | 2025 | 38.1% | 45.4%–48.9% |
| Oregon | 2025 | 32.7% | 40.0%–43.5% |
| Pennsylvania | 2025 | 33.5% | 40.8%–44.3% |
| Puerto Rico | 2025 | 35.9% | 43.2%–46.7% |
| Rhode Island | 2025 | 31.3% | 38.6%–42.1% |
| South Carolina | 2025 | 36.5% | 43.8%–47.3% |
| South Dakota | 2025 | 34.3% | 41.6%–45.1% |
| Tennessee | 2025 | 37.9% | 45.2%–48.7% |
| Texas | 2025 | 36.1% | 43.4%–46.9% |
| Utah | 2025 | 29.8% | 37.1%–40.6% |
| Vermont | 2025 | 29.1% | 36.4%–39.9% |
| Virgin Islands | 2024 | 37.7% | 45.0%–48.5% |
| Virginia | 2025 | 34.2% | 41.5%–45.0% |
| Washington | 2025 | 31.0% | 38.3%–41.8% |
| West Virginia | 2025 | 37.4% | 44.7%–48.2% |
| Wisconsin | 2025 | 36.6% | 43.9%–47.4% |
| Wyoming | 2025 | 32.6% | 39.9%–43.4% |
Sources
- Ward ZJ, Bleich SN, Cradock AL, et al., New England Journal of Medicine, Projected U.S. State-Level Prevalence of Adult Obesity and Severe Obesity (published ; checked )
- US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Adult BMI Categories (published ; checked )
- CDC, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), via the Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity data portal
- CDC, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES)
How we process every dataset is explained on How we calculate; all sources are listed on Data sources.
Last updated
Written by the ObesitySurvey team. Not medical advice. Data last rebuilt 1 October 2026.