November is National Diabetes Awareness Month. Do you know Americans collectively spend roughly $237 billion per year on obesity-related health costs? According to a report on 2018’s Fattest States in America released from the personal-finance website WalletHub, diabetes is very costly to Americans. Here are the reason why:

• $327 Billion: Estimated cost of diabetes in the U.S. in 2017 ($237 billion in direct medical costs, $90 billion in nonmedical costs).
   
• $9,600: Average annual diabetes-related health care costs for patients.
   
• 2.3: Number of times by which a diabetes patient’s health care costs increase.
   
• 14 & 18 Years: Reduction in the average male and female type 1 diabetes patient’s life expectancy, respectively.

To determine which states contribute the most to America’s overweight and obesity problem, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 25 key metrics. They range from share of overweight and obese population to sugary-beverage consumption among adolescents to obesity-related health care costs. The 20 fattest states in the United States are listed below:

Diabetes Facts & Statistics

View now the full fattest states report.  

More from WalletHub

• Fattest Cities in America
• Healthiest & Unhealthiest Cities in America
• Best & Worst Cities for an Active Lifestyle
• Best & Worst Cities for Recreation
• Most & Least Stressed Cities in America