Research has revealed the laziest states in the US, with Alabama coming out on top. The study by online fitness resource TotalShape.com analyzed a study from America’s Health Rankings to see which states had the highest percentage of adults who reported doing no physical activity or exercise other than their regular job in the past 30 days.
Alabama topped the study with the highest % inactive adults, with 31.5%. Physical inactivity among those aged 65 and over in the state sits at 41.3%, more than ten percentage points higher than the national average of 31.2%. Inactivity of adults aged 45-64 also sits at 37.4%, 12 percentage points higher than the national average of 25.4% for that age group.
Coming in second is the state of Mississippi, which comes in with a percentage of 30.9%. 25% of adults aged between reported being physically inactive, with 35.6% of adults aged 45-64 and 36.2% of adults aged 65 and over-reporting the same.
The southern state of Arkansas takes third place on the list, with a percentage of 30.6%. 40% of adults aged over 65 reported physical inactivity, which is almost ten percentage points higher than the national average of 31.2%. 34.3% of adults aged 45-64 and 23% aged 18-44 also reported the same.
Tied for fourth place are the states of West Virginia and Kentucky, both coming in with a percentage of 30.5%. In West Virginia, 41% of adults over 65 reported physical inactivity, whereas 37.2% reported the same in Kentucky. Physical inactivity among adults aged 45-64 is around the same in both states, with West Virginia reporting 34.2% and Kentucky reporting 33.2%. When it comes to adults aged 18-44, West Virginia saw 20.6% of this age group report physical inactivity, and in Kentucky, this sits at 25.2%
Rounding out the top five is Louisiana, with an overall percentage of 29.4%. 40.5% of adults over 65 reported physical inactivity, and 30.1% of adults aged 45-64 reported the same thing. 23.6% of adults aged 18-44 also reported physical inactivity.
| Rank | State | Percentage of adults who reported doing no physical activity or exercise in the past 30 days |
| 1 | Alabama | 31.5% |
| 2 | Mississippi | 30.9% |
| 3 | Arkansas | 30.6% |
| 4 | West Virginia | 30.5% |
| 4 | Kentucky | 30.5% |
| 5 | Louisiana | 29.4% |
| 6 | Tennessee | 28.7% |
| 7 | Oklahoma | 28.3% |
| 8 | Illinois | 27.2% |
| 8 | Delaware | 27.2% |
| 9 | Maine | 26.5% |
| 10 | Ohio | 25.9% |
Source: America’s Health Rankings analysis of CDC, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, United Health Foundation, AmericasHealthRankings.org, accessed 2023.
