CDC Reports Stagnation in U.S. Obesity Rates, but Severe Obesity Continues to Rise

While overall obesity rates have plateaued, severe obesity has increased, affecting nearly 10% of adults, with women disproportionately impacted.

New CDC data shows the U.S. adult obesity rate at approximately 40.3%, a slight decrease from previous years but not statistically significant.
Severe obesity, defined as a BMI of 40 or higher, has risen from 7.7% to 9.7% over the past decade.
Women are nearly twice as likely as men to be severely obese, with 12.1% of women affected compared to 6.7% of men.
Middle-aged adults (ages 40-59) have the highest obesity rates at 46.4%, while those with higher education levels show lower prevalence.
Despite the availability of new weight-loss drugs, the overall obesity rate remains above the Healthy People 2030 goal of reducing it to below 36%.