Note that you can select earlier years using the controls below the map. Some depressing observations:
• In 1990, the highest rate was 15% (Mississippi) and the lowest was 6.9% (Colorado).
• In 2000, the highest was 23.9% (West Virginia) and the lowest 14.5% (Colorado). Note that in a mere 10 years, the lowest was almost equal to what had been the highest.
There are plenty of other charts on the site. There is one for physical inactivity. That shows two interesting things:
• The states with the highest obesity have the most inactivity, and the states with the least obesity the least inactivity.
• However, for each state the level of inactivity has remained fairly flat over the last 10 years, even though the obesity rate has risen in those states. Inactivity might explain why some states are more or less obese than others, but it doesn't appear to have anything to do with why we are getting fatter everywhere.