South Carolina One of the Most “Forgotten” States in America
Do you ever think of those states that you know are a state but you sometimes just forget about? Maybe they are just so far from where you live you…
Charleston, South Carolina, USA at Waterfront Park.
Do you ever think of those states that you know are a state but you sometimes just forget about? Maybe they are just so far from where you live you don't really think about them often and have probably never been. Now, I know for me states like Oklahoma, Nebraska, and South Dakota, are states I can certainly say I have forgotten. Not saying I do not acknowledge them, but because I am not close in proximity and no one is there they just slip your mind. But, it is crazy to think that a state that may be popular with you could slip someone else's mind. Right?
The Travel recently named their top most popular states and top most forgotten states. Funny enough, one of the Carolinas made that list. Shocking, right? Because for us, this is home and we talk about both Carolinas quite often. Well, apparently South Carolina is one of the top most forgotten states in the country. I mean, out of both Carolinas I could see why. No major sports teams are in South Carolina and besides Charleston and Myrtle Beach, not many tourist destinations either. Although for many of us, South Carolina is home we do see why people that may live in Oklahoma or California may not think of us. I am not really complaining because I get it, but South Carolina is still home no matter what.
Can you think of some other states you may consider to be "forgotten" states? Check out the full list and see what other states are forgotten and which are the most popular. The most popular states are not really that surprising. I think those are the ones we know we are going to hear a lot about.
South Carolina Is One Of The 10 Most Overweight States In The Country
Being overweight is becoming the new normal in America. And if you say that it's quickly referred to as "fat-shaming". I'm not here to tell you to lose weight. I'm not here to tell you you're fat or skinny. Those are all conversations to have with your doctor. But I am here to tell you the facts. And, according to the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 70 percent of U.S. adults (20+) are either classified as overweight or obese. While still lower, rates for children and adolescents are also on the rise. Why should you care? Well, obesity costs our healthcare system $173 billion per year according to the CDC. And a recent study by WalletHub ranked South Carolina as one of the most overweight states.
What is causing this? One main issue is a lack of physical activity. Other factors include genetics, emotional instability, and sleeplessness. To determine where obesity and overweight most dangerously persist, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 31 key metrics. This data set ranges from the share of obese and overweight population to sugary-beverage consumption among adolescents to obesity-related health care costs. And, well it's bad news for South Carolina as we find ourselves ranking as one of the fattest states, near the top of these rankings.
Keep reading to see where South Carolina ranks in the most overweight states. Then you'll see the 10 least overweight and obese states. You can view the full WalletHub study here.
Most Overweight & Obese States
1. West Virginia
Total Score: 74.60
Obesity & Overweight Prevalence: 1
Health Consequences: 1
Food & Fitness: 9
2. Mississippi
<img class="size-full wp-image-372106" src="https://kiss951.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/48/2022/07/GettyImages-642052488.jpg" alt="Mississippi" width="724" height="483" />
Total Score: 72.33
Obesity & Overweight Prevalence: 2
Health Consequences: 10
Food & Fitness: 1
3. Kentucky
Total Score: 68.99
Obesity & Overweight Prevalence: 4
Health Consequences: 8
Food & Fitness: 5
4. Arkansas
Total Score: 68.95
Obesity & Overweight Prevalence: 3
Health Consequences: 17
Food & Fitness: 6
5. Alabama
Total Score: 68.63
Obesity & Overweight Prevalence: 5
Health Consequences: 11
Food & Fitness: 3
6. Tennessee
Total Score: 67.46
Obesity & Overweight Prevalence: 6
Health Consequences: 12
Food & Fitness: 10
7. Louisiana
Total Score: 65.66
Obesity & Overweight Prevalence: 7
Health Consequences: 26
Food & Fitness: 4
8. Delaware
Total Score: 63.99
Obesity & Overweight Prevalence: 7
Health Consequences: 26
Food & Fitness: 4
9. Oklahoma
Total Score: 63.71
Obesity & Overweight Prevalence: 8
Health Consequences: 32
Food & Fitness: 15
10. South Carolina
Total Score: 63.43
Obesity & Overweight Prevalence: 10
Health Consequences: 22
Food & Fitness: 2
11. Georgia
Total Score: 62.27
Obesity & Overweight Prevalence: 11
Health Consequences: 28
Food & Fitness: 8
12. Texas
<span style="font-size: 16px;">Total Score: 62.08</span>
Obesity & Overweight Prevalence: 9
Health Consequences: 34
Food & Fitness: 13
13. Ohio
<span style="font-size: 16px;">Total Score: 61.99</span>
Obesity & Overweight Prevalence: 13
Health Consequences: 18
Food & Fitness: 14
14. Missouri
Total Score: 61.51
Obesity & Overweight Prevalence: 12
Health Consequences: 23
Food & Fitness: 17
15. North Carolina
Total Score: 60.13
Obesity & Overweight Prevalence: 16
Health Consequences: 21
Food & Fitness: 18
Least Overweight & Obese States
51. Colorado
<span style="font-size: 16px;">Total Score: 43.23</span>
Obesity & Overweight Prevalence: 51
Health Consequences: 48
Food & Fitness: 19
50. Utah
Total Score: 43.47
Obesity & Overweight Prevalence: 49
Health Consequences: 50
Food & Fitness: 34
49. District of Columbia
Total Score: 44.28
Obesity & Overweight Prevalence: 50
Health Consequences: 44
Food & Fitness: 31
48. Massachusetts
Total Score: 45.90
Obesity & Overweight Prevalence: 47
Health Consequences: 45
Food & Fitness: 51
47. Hawaii
Total Score: 47.00
Obesity & Overweight Prevalence: 44
Health Consequences: 51
Food & Fitness: 41
46. Minnesota
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-353774" src="https://kiss951.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/48/2022/05/GettyImages-1301638912-scaled.jpg" alt="Minnesota" width="2560" height="1708" />
Total Score: 48.27
Obesity & Overweight Prevalence: 45
Health Consequences: 42
Food & Fitness: 39
45. California
Total Score: 49.97
Obesity & Overweight Prevalence: 38
Health Consequences: 49
Food & Fitness: 26
44. New York
Total Score: 50.93
Obesity & Overweight Prevalence: 43
Health Consequences: 38
Food & Fitness: 27
43. Arizona
Total Score: 51.12
Obesity & Overweight Prevalence: 35
Health Consequences: 47
Food & Fitness: 25
42. Washington
Total Score: 51.17
Obesity & Overweight Prevalence: 37
Health Consequences: 35
Food & Fitness: 43
Methodology
In order to determine the most overweight and obese states in America, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across three key dimensions: 1) Obesity & Overweight Prevalence, 2) Health Consequences and 3) Food & Fitness.
We evaluated those dimensions using 31 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most overweight state. For metrics marked with an asterisk (*), we calculated the population size using the square root of the population in order to avoid overcompensating for minor differences across states.
Finally, we determined each state and the District’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order the states.
Obesity & Overweight Prevalence – Total Points: 60
Health Consequences – Total Points: 25
Food & Fitness – Total Points: 15
Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, The Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative, Trust for America's Health, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Gallup, Data Resource Center for Child & Adolescent Health, National Conference of State Legislatures, Centers for Disease Control & Prevention and the Economic Research Service of the United States Department of Agriculture.
