Healthiest States Index: Where does Texas rank?

Texas is the 31 healthiest state in the US, according to a new study that ranks all U.S. states and the District of Columbia against 13 contributing factors.

The Healthiest States Index, published by fitness advice platform BarBend, used the latest available data from the U.S. Census and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), published between 2015 and 2022, for residents aged 18 and over. The index ranks the country’s 51 jurisdictions based on three main pillars: lifestyle behavior, weighing 55% of the ranking; health status (25%); and available fitness infrastructure (20%).

BarBend offered these insights from its study:

• The District of Columbia is the healthiest jurisdiction in the U.S., scoring top marks for all fitness infrastructure indicators and the highest recommended daily intake rate of fruits.
• Adults in Mississippi, Kentucky and West Virginia are the unhealthiest U.S. residents, consuming some of the lowest quantities of fruits and vegetables, topping the smokers’ charts, while only 1 in 4 adults work out twice a week.
• 41.9% of the adult population in Texas is aerobically active for the recommended minimum of 150 minutes per week. For context, on average, 50.3% of all adult U.S. residents meet their minimum 150 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity per week, 75 minutes of vigorous intensity aerobic activity or an equivalent combination.
• Only 12.1% of adults in Texas eat the recommended amount of fruit every day, compared to 12.2% across the country. As for vegetables, while only 9.3% of all U.S. residents aged 18 and over consume their daily recommended intake, 10.9% in Texas do so.
• 35.8% of adults in Texas are obese. For context, 31.9% of the adult population in the U.S. is considered obese, measured in terms of a Body Mass Index (BMI) factor of 30 or more.
• 14.4% of adults in Texas smoke, compared to the US average of 16.6%.
• 17.6% of Texas residents binge drink, while the national median stands at 17.4%.

Here is how all the states in the U.S. and the District of Columbia ranked in BarBend’s Healthiest States Index:

1. District of Columbia
2. Utah
3. New Jersey
4. Colorado
5. California
6. Massachusetts
7. Connecticut
8. Washington
9. Maryland
10. Vermont
11. Oregon
12. Hawaii
13. Alaska
14. New York
15. New Hampshire
16. Arizona
17. Nevada
18. Rhode Island
19. Idaho
20. Minnesota
21. Florida
22. Illinois
23. New Mexico
24. Wyoming
25. Maine
26. Montana
27. Virginia
28. Delaware
29. Wisconsin
30. Pennsylvania
31. Texas
32. Nebraska
33. Georgia
34. North Carolina
35. North Dakota
36. Kansas
37. Michigan
38. Indiana
39. Tennessee
40. Ohio
41. Missouri
42. Iowa
43. South Carolina
44. South Dakota
45. Louisiana
46. Oklahoma
47. Alabama
48. Arkansas
49. Mississippi
50. Kentucky
51. West Virginia

Kenny Kline of BarBend appeared on KPRC 2+ to share more insights from the Healthiest States Index. For the full interview, watch the video at the top of the page.

You can stream KPRC 2+ weekdays at 7 a.m. on click2houston.com and on the KPRC 2 app.