This Is The #1 Most Exercise-Obsessed State In The U.S.

Many Americans love to exercise. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 53.3% of adults who are 18 years of age and older meet the Physical Activity Guidelines for aerobic physical activity. When it comes to aerobic and muscle-strengthening, 23.2% of adults 18 years of age and older are right on task.

Many parts of the country have an outstanding reputation for a population that likes to get active—so much so that there is a recent study that ranks the states in America that are the most exercised-obsessed. If you are a health-conscious fitness enthusiast, you'll want to listen up. Read on to see where your state ranks on this list, and next, check out The 6 Best Exercises for Strong and Toned Arms in 2022, Trainer Says.

Here's how the research was conducted for this ranking

This recent research was conducted by BarBend, a company that provides fitness info on strength sports. The data gathered is based on specifics and statistics from CDC.gov (2022), Exercise.com, County Health Rankings (2021), Statista (for health club information), in addition to trending info from Google. Fitness professionals at BarBend compiled and analyzed scores and rankings using a 10-point scale, then published the highest exercise-obsessed states in America. Let's see what BarBend came up with.

Minnesota is the #1 most exercise-obsessed state in the U.S.

downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota — Shuttterstock

The study reveals that "the most exercise-obsessed state in America" is—drumroll, please!—Minnesota. Yes, Minnesota takes the number 1 slot, with an impressive 10 gyms per 100,000 people (a total of 571 gyms in the state). That's in addition to 15 health clubs per 100,000 people. Although 21% of Minnesotans don't exercise, a whopping 87% have "access to exercise opportunities," the study notes.

Colorado takes the #2 slot, followed by Connecticut, then Washington

people hiking trail through aspen, colorado mountains — Shutterstock

Number 2 on the list for the most exercise-obsessed state is Colorado, although they are the most active in the U.S. This state is found to have the lowest percentage of physically inactive individuals in the country. (Only 17.7% of the state's population is listed under "physical inactivity prevalence.") Colorado ranks within the top 10 states as far as gyms per capita, with a total of 7 per every 100,000 people (394 gyms throughout the state). Additionally, they have 16 health clubs per 100,000 individuals.

Connecticut ranks #3 as the most exercise-obsessed, and Washington is #4. Massachusetts claims the #5 slot, followed by Oregon, New Hampshire, Wisconsin, Virginia, and California in spots 6 through 10, respectively.

West Virginia ranks the lowest in this study

The state that came in lowest as far as exercise-obsessed is concerned is West Virginia, which also ranked second to last in the "access to exercise opportunities" category, with just 59% of the state's population having fitness opportunities readily available. (Mississippi came in last for "access to exercise opportunities" at 54%).

You can see where your home ranks on BarBend's ranking below: