Mon. Feb 24th, 2025

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A new report has ranked Mississippi the laziest state in country, based on the number of adults who don’t work out.

Data analysis from Universal Drugstore ranked each state based on healthy habits, like working out and eating fruits and vegetables. They also ranked states by unhealthy habits, including skipping the gym and smoking.

Mississippi had the highest percentage of inactive adults with 33.2%.

The Magnolia State also took the No. 2 spot nationally for states with the worst health habits thanks to high interest in gambling. The study said 79,399 per 100,000 people searched for gambling information and websites over a year.

Which is the least healthy?

Mississippi might make bad health choices, but the state is still doing better than Missouri.

The Show Me State’s biggest unhealthy habit is smoking. It has the fourth-highest percentage of adult smokers with 23.5%. It also scored highly for binge drinking.

Ohio and its neighbor West Virginia tied for the No. 3 spot in the country. People in Ohio reportedly skip sleep a lot, have a high smoking rate and frequent a high number of fast food restaurants. West Virginians were dinged for smoking cigarettes and not catching enough Z’s.

Which states were the healthiest?

The study ranked Washington state as having the least unhealthy habits. Relatively few adults use social media, and only about 18.4% of adults don’t work out.

Utah took No. 2. Researchers noted low rates of smoking and binge drinking, and they attributed it to the high number of members of the Church of Latter-day Saints, which says to avoid smoking and consuming alcohol. About 42% of the state’s population are members.

Idaho claimed the No. 3 spot. It scored particularly low on gambling searches, and its worst habit is tied to food choices. Only about 5.4% of adults eat two fruits and three veggies per day.

Which are the 10 laziest states?

Colorado ranked as the most active state, with only 17.7% of adults who don’t work out.

The states are listed with total populations. They were ranked by percentage of inactive adults.

  1. Mississippi: 2,939,690, 33.2%
  2. Kentucky: 4,526,154, 32.5%
  3. Arkansas: 3,067,732, 31.1%
  4. Louisiana: 4,573,749, 30.8%
  5. Alabama: 5,108,468, 30.7%
  6. Oklahoma: 4,053,824, 30.5%
  7. West Virginia: 1,770,071, 30.1%
  8. Tennessee: 7,126,489, 28.9%
  9. Indiana: 6,862,199, 28.5%
  10. Missouri: 6,196,156, 27.8%

Bonnie Bolden is the Deep South Connect reporter for Mississippi with Gannett/USA Today. Email her at [email protected].

By Xplayer