This Tennessee City is Ranked the 5th Most Overweight in America

It's not just a stereotype that Americans are some of the most overweight people in the world, the statistics back up that perception too. The data says that nearly 42% of U.S. adults are obese. But what cities have the most overweight residents? WalletHub.com answered that question with its annual report of the Most Overweight and Obese Cities in the U.S., and the news isn't good for Tennessee.

ALSO READ: Tennessee is Ranked Among the Most Sinful States in America

This report compared 100 of the most populated U.S. metro areas in three main categories and more than a dozen indicators of weight-related problems.

• Obesity & Overweight: Share of overweight & obese adults, teenagers, and children.
• Health Consequences: Number of adults with high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and diabetes.
• Food & Fitness: Number of adults who eat fruits and vegetables, access to healthy foods and recreational activities.

Tennessee is Home to the 5^th Most Overweight City in America

I’ve seen this report for the past several years and Tennessee is always near the top, and that is once again the case in 2025. According to the report, KNOXVILLE is the 5^th most overweight city in the country. That’s not great news, but Tennessee does show signs of improvement.

In 2024, Tennessee had three cities (Knoxville, Memphis, and Chattanooga) in the top 10 – this year there’s only one (Memphis is #11 and Chattanooga is #15). Having said that, the report does include some troubling stats about the Volunteer State.

• Knoxville has the highest percentage of adults with high cholesterol.
• Memphis has the 2^nd highest percentage of obese adults
• Chattanooga has the 3^rd highest percentage of physically inactive adults
• Chattanooga has the 4^th lowest percentage of Fruit/Vegetable Consumption among adults
• And when it comes to the percentage of adults with diabetes, Knoxville is 1^st, Chattanooga is 2^nd, and Memphis is 5^th.

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What Other Cities Made the Overweight List?

You can scroll over the map below to see the rankings for the rest of the cities included in this study. You can see the full report here.