Where America's Obese Live

One-third of adult Americans are obese. While it’s all too easy to dismiss obesity as a personal failure, doctors know it’s caused by a mix of biological and social factors. Poverty, race, access to healthy food, walkability, and access to public spaces have all been linked to the incidence of obesity—some more consistently than others.

What’s clear from the full body of research is that when it comes to this public health concern, place matters. To understand the environmental factors that contribute to the condition, the nonprofit research institute RTI International has created a new map that spotlights the at-risk population in neighborhoods across America.