Not-so-Little Rock? Analysis ranks metro area high on Most Obese Cities in US list

Alex Kienlen
·2 min read

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – A recent list of the most overweight cities in America may have residents in the Little Rock area passing on taking seconds at dinner.

The list of 2024 Most Overweight and Obese Cities in the U.S. by consumer finance site WalletHub ranked the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway metropolitan statistical area at No. 5 in the country for obesity. This area, set by the US Census Bureau, includes Pulaski, Faulkner, Lonoke, Perry, and Saline counties.

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The analysis by WalletHub compared 100 of the most populated MSAs across 19 key indicators of weight-related problems such as high cholesterol, the share of obese adults and the share of adults with low fruit/vegetable consumption.

The indicators were then placed in one of three categories, Obesity & Overweight, Health Consequences and Food & Fitness, to generate a final score.

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Overall, McAllen, Texas, topped the list, followed by Jackson, Mississippi, Shreveport, Louisiana, and Mobile, Alabama, then the Little Rock metro.

Little Rock was second in the study for the percentage of obese adults. The authors also reported that Capital City was fourth of the areas surveyed for adults with high blood pressure.

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Other measures were much better news for the Natural State, such as the percentage of physically inactive adults and the percentage of adults with high cholesterol, which had central Arkansas out of the top five.

The study’s authors pointed out the costs that come with an obese population.

“Obesity is becoming more and more prevalent in the U.S., and it’s costing us big time,” WalletHub analyst Cassandra Happe said. “In the most overweight and obese cities, residents often lack easy access to healthy food and recreation opportunities, so investing in those areas should help improve people’s diets and exercise regimens, and reduce the financial burden overall.”

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According to the National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, America has an obesity prevalence of nearly 42%. The National League of Cities estimates the annual health care cost of obesity-related illnesses is $190.2 billion per year, roughly 21% of annual medical spending.

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