Why Colorado Stands Out With A Low Obesity Rate Compared To Neighboring States

Colorado is widely known to attract visitors and transplants that place importance on being fit. There are countless places to go hiking, mountain biking, and running, just to name a few. In fact, it's not unusual to find homes in Colorado that have entire rooms dedicated to gym equipment.

Read More: Beaver Creek, Colorado Home Has Movie Theater + Gym |

Because of this, it should come as no surprise that a fairly recent study placed Colorado at the bottom of the nationwide obesity scale.

How Obese is Colorado Compared to Other States?

The study, which can be found in full here, lists Colorado as having a 25% obesity rate which is the best number on the list with the exception of Washington D.C. which boasts a 24% obesity rate.

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This figure is also significantly lower than the states that border Colorado with Wyoming having an obesity rate of 34%, Utah at 31%, Nebraska at 35%, New Mexico at 32%, Kansas at 36%, Arizona at 33%, and Oklahoma at a whopping 40% obesity rate.

Other states with a 40% obesity rate include Mississippi and Louisiana with the most obese state in the nation being West Virginia which sports a 41% obesity rate.

There are numerous factors that can be attributed to Colorado's impressively low obesity rate including the ability to exercise outdoors in one way or another year-round, as well as the plethora of healthy food available pretty much anywhere in the state that you look.

Take a look at the entire map of all 50 states and Washington D.C. with regard to obesity rates here.