America’s obesity rates are alarming, and as they continue to rise so do the costs the country incurs caring for obese Americans each year. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an obese American’s medical costs are $1,429 higher than someone of normal weight. With more than one-third of the country’s adult population (78.6 million) considered obese, the costs add up.

As medical costs associated with obesity continue to pose a heavy financial burden to society, economists predict the costs will continue to surge as high as $3,508 for every obese patient. These expenses include frequent visits to the doctor, hospital stays, prescription drugs, and home health care.

To understand the growing epidemic, analysts at WalletHub broke down the country’s 100 most populated U.S. cities. They looked at the percentage of residents who are overweight or obese; weight-related health problems, such as high blood pressure, cholesterol, rates of physical inactivity, and the amount of fruit and vegetable servings they eat each day; along with the environment residents live in. Analysts crunched the numbers, and come up with a score that ranked from worst to best (1-100). Every city that ranked in the top 10 most obese was located below the Mason-Dixie line, except for a city in Indiana.

Click “View Slideshow” to see which cities ranked as the most obese, and how they ranked with regard to different factors.

American Obesity
The fattest cities in America are primarily located in the south and it's costing the country money. Photo courtesy of Getty Images/ John B. Carnett