New England’s Heaviest State? Unfortunately, It’s Us, Maine

Mainers, we need to talk about our weight.

Those are some words that are always horrendous to hear. Heck, I hate hearing them myself. But this phrase is extremely important, because being overweight can lead to a plethora of other health issues that can negatively affect the rest of your life.

And alarmingly, Maine is the most overweight state in New England — and the 11th most in the entire country. That's not great, folks.

WalletHub.com, a personal finance and lifestyle website, was the site behind the most overweight and obese states report.

Maine's total score in the study was a 63.54 out of a possible 100 total points. It placed the Pine Tree State between Oklahoma and Ohio. The scoring was based on three major categories: Obesity & Overweight Prevalence, Health Consequences, and Food & Fitness. These categories were broken down into 31 subcategories to make it as accurate as possible. You can read more about the methodology here.

Maine actually didn’t do poorly in the Obesity & Overweight Prevalence category, ranking just 29th. However, the Health Consequences category paints a much grimmer picture. Maine finished as the second-highest state here, meaning Mainers are very likely to develop debilitating conditions like high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity-related cancers.

As for Food & Fitness, Maine ranked a rather disappointing 16th. I was surprised by this, considering we’re known for amazing food and an outdoor playground that encourages activity. I guess we’re picking the savory and the sweet over the greens a little too often.

The rest of New England did considerably better than Maine. Here are those rankings (remember — the lower, the better):

28. Rhode Island
32. New Hampshire
36. Connecticut
42. Vermont
49. Massachusetts

Congrats to the healthiest state in the survey, Colorado — those crunchy folks posted an impressively low score of 43.73.

READ MORE: 20 Must-Try Under-the-Radar Spots in Portland, Maine

As for the most overweight and obese state, that title goes to wild and wonderful West Virginia (go Mountaineers!) with a whopping 75.24. Mountain Staters should probably get outside and, you know, enjoy those mountains.

Here’s hoping 2026 brings a healthier year for us Mainers. I know I need to do my part.