At a glance
- Approximately 1 in 5 U.S. children and adolescents have obesity.
- Obesity affects some groups more than others, including adolescents, Hispanic and non-Hispanic Black children, and children in families with lower incomes.
- Health care for obesity is expensive for patients and the health care system.
Many U.S. children have obesity
From 2017 to March 2020, the prevalence of obesity among U.S. children and adolescents was 19.7%1. This means that approximately 14.7 million U.S. youths aged 2–19 years have obesity.
For children, obesity is defined as having a body mass index (BMI) at or above the 95th percentile for age and sex.
Obesity affects some groups more than others
The prevalence of obesity increased with age. From 2017 to March 2020, obesity prevalence was 12.7% among U.S. children 2–5 years old, 20.7% among those 6–11, and 22.2% among adolescents 12–19.[1]
Overall, obesity prevalence was highest in Hispanic children (26.2%) and non-Hispanic Black children (24.8%) followed by non-Hispanic white (16.6%) and non-Hispanic Asian (9.0%) children.[1]
Among U.S. girls, obesity prevalence was highest among non-Hispanic Black girls (30.8%). Among U.S. boys, obesity prevalence was highest among Hispanic boys (29.3%).[1]
Obesity prevalence increased as family income decreased. Obesity prevalence was:
- 11.5% among U.S. children with family income more than 350% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL).
- 21.2% among children with family income 130% to 350% of FPL.
- 25.8% among children with family income 130% or less of FPL.[1]
Obesity data among young children
Health care for obesity is expensive
Health care for obesity is expensive for patients and the health care system. In 2019 dollars, the estimated annual medical cost of obesity among U.S. children was $1.3 billion. Medical costs for children with obesity were $116 higher per person per year than for children with healthy weight. Medical costs for children with severe obesity were $310 higher per person per year than for children with healthy weight.[2]
Related information
Information about obesity among adults in the U.S.
What BMI is, how it is used, and how it is interpreted.
Calculate BMI, BMI percentile, and BMI category for children and adolescents 2–19.
Person-first language
- Stierman B, Afful J, Carroll MD, et al. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2017–March 2020 prepandemic data files development of files and prevalence estimates for selected health outcomes. Natl Health Stat Report. 2021;158.
- Ward ZJ, Bleich S, Long MW, Gortmaker SL. Association of body mass index with health care expenditures in the United States by age and sex. PLoS One. 2021;16(3):e0247307.