According to the 2021 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS), 16.3% of high school students had obesity and an additional 16% were overweight. The information from YRBSS is based on a survey of participating states and uses self-reported information. State obesity rates among high school students ranged from a low of 10.2% in Utah to a high of 26.9% in West Virginia.
Explore Data by Demographic
Explore childhood obesity related data by age group
High School
Fast Facts
26.9%
of high school students in West Virginia had obesity, the highest rate of any state.
16.3%
Of high school students nationally had obesity.
29.4%
Of Native American high schoolers had obesity, the highest among all racial and ethnic groups.
About this Data
The Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System is a biannual survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For more information, see the Methodology and Data page.
Report