Is Tom Green County One of the Fattest In Texas?

It seems like people here in San Angelo rejoice whenever a new fast-food restaurant comes to town. It almost seems whatever the time of day or night, drive-thru lines are long. Here in our area, we have an obsession with great restaurants.  I will just say it, we love food around here.

That being so, most of us made some serious New Year's resolutions to eat better and lose weight. I know I did. At least, I think I did.  I've already forgotten.

There have been some big news stories in the press about where are the fattest metro areas in America. It is no surprise, that #1 is right here in Texas. The McAllen, Texas metro in the Rio Grande Valley has the highest share of obese adults in the nation at 44.9%

Other factors that count in the overall wellness of a community include:

• Share of obese adults,
• Share of physically inactive adults
• Share of diabetic adults
• Health outcomes

Since everything in life is a comparison, how are we doing here in Tom Green County?

First, Texas overall has an obesity rate of 36.1% vs a national average of 36.2% according to 2021 figures from United Health Foundation.

The 2023 adult obesity rate in Tom Green County is 36.9%, Texas is 36.1% and the national median obesity prevelance is 36.2% , according to US News.

Let's see how we're doing in the other major indicators. (2022)

Share of physically inactive adults:  Tom Green County/ 30.9%  US/30.0%   US/ 29.4%  Share of Diabetic Adults: Tom Green County/12.2%     US/10.5%   US/12.4%

When it comes to health outcomes, Tom Green County is #65 out of 254 counties. The life expectancy in Tom Green County is 77.5 years, compared to the national median of 77.5 and Texas' 78.5 according to Texas Health Maps.

To answer the question, it looks like we're a little above average in our obesity rates here in Tom Green County.  The rate has been rising faster than the overall rate in Texas and nationwide. This is probably due to the fact that we were more of an agrarian county in the past. Fewer of us have time to grow healthy fruits and veggies like our parents here did.

We have some work to do. Looking across Texas, however, I think we all have reason to be thankful.

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