Providence Ranked the Fattest City in New England

Methodology

In order to determine the fattest cities in America, WalletHub compared 100 of the most populated U.S. metro areas across three key dimensions: 1) Obesity & Overweight, 2) Health Consequences and 3) Food & Fitness.

We evaluated those dimensions using 19 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 “fattest.” Data for metrics marked with an asterisk (*) were available only at the state level.

We then determined each city’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order our sample.

Obesity & Overweight – Total Points: 60

Share of Overweight Adults: Full Weight (~13.33 Points)
Share of Obese Adults: Full Weight (~13.33 Points)
Share of Overweight Teenagers: Half* Weight (~6.67 Points)
Note: “Teenagers” includes 9th through 12th grade students.
Share of Obese Teenagers: Half* Weight (~6.67 Points)
Note: “Teenagers” includes 9th through 12th grade students.
Share of Overweight Children: Half* Weight (~6.67 Points)
Note: “Children” includes persons aged 10 to 17.
Share of Obese Children: Half* Weight (~6.67 Points)
Note: “Children” includes persons aged 10 to 17.
Projected Obesity Rates by 2030: Half* Weight (~6.67 Points)

Health Consequences – Total Points: 25

Share of Adults with High Cholesterol: Full Weight (~5.56 Points)
Share of Diabetic Adults: Full Weight (~5.56 Points)
Share of Adults with High Blood Pressure: Full Weight (~5.56 Points)
Heart-Disease Rate: Full Weight (~5.56 Points)
Obesity-Related Death Rate: Half* Weight (~2.78 Points)

Food & Fitness – Total Points: 15

Share of Adults with Low Fruit/Vegetable Consumption: Full Weight (~1.50 Points)
Note: This metric refers to the share of adults who consume fruit and vegetables less than one time per day.
Share of Residents Who Say They Eat Healthy: Full Weight (~1.50 Points)
Limited Access to Healthy Food: Full Weight (~1.50 Points)
Note: This metric measures the share of urban-area residents who earn a low income and live more than 1 mile from a grocery store or supermarket.
Share of Physically Inactive Adults: Full Weight (~1.50 Points)
City Friendliness toward an Active Lifestyle: Quadruple Weight (~6.00 Points)
Note: This metric is based on data from WalletHub’s Best & Worst Cities for an Active Lifestyleranking.
Access to Parks & Recreational Facilities: Full Weight (~1.50 Points)
Note: This metric measures the share of individuals who live reasonably close to a location for physical activity - parks or recreational facilities.
Number of Health Educators and Community Health Workers per Capita: Full Weight (~1.50 Points)
Note: Health educators teach people about behaviors that promote wellness. They develop and implement strategies to improve the health of individuals and communities.