Evansville, IN: Once Most Obese, Where Does It Rank in 2025?

In 2011, Evansville was voted the most obese city in America. That's a sigma that has stuck with the city for years, but where does it rank in 2025?

According to the International Business Times, in 2011, "the city of Evansville, Indiana has the most obese metropolitan area in the nation." Well over a decade later, some people still like to hang on to that statistic as some claim to fame for Evansville. I'll still randomly see people on social media comment on an article or post about Evansville, saying that it's the most obese city in the country. However, that was in 2011. A lot has changed since then. Does Evansville still rank at the top of that list after 14 years?

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Is Evansville, Indiana Still the Most Obese City in America in 2025?

WalletHub just released their findings in their study for the Most Obese and Overweight Cities In America for 2025. Here's how the website came to its findings:

Certain places are more responsible than others for tipping the scale in favor of poor health, though. To identify them, WalletHub compared 100 of the most populated U.S. metro areas across 19 key indicators of weight-related problems. Our data set ranges from the share of physically inactive adults to projected obesity rates by 2030 to healthy-food access.

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That being said, when looking at the top 100 to see where the city of Evansville is ranked, it was nowhere to be found. That's right, Evansville, Indiana went from being the most obese city in America in 2011, to not even in the top 100 in 2025. Fort Wayne came in at number 29 on the list, and Indianapolis landed at number 40.

Apparently, Evansville has been working out, changed our eating habits, or has found some other way to get onto a more healthy lifestyle. That's great news for the city of Evansville, and will hopefully help eliminate the stereotype that the city received back in 2011. So, the next time you hear someone mention that Evansville is the "fattest city in the country", show them this and remind them not to live in the past! Go, Evansville!

You can take a look at the full list of the most obese cities in America for 2025 by clicking here.

See How Downtown Evansville Has Changed Over the Years

I find looking back on the way things used to be fascinating. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad I'm living through the current time period. The conveniences of answering any question we have in seconds, or ordering practically anything we want or need and having it delivered to our doorstep is pretty sweet. But, there is something fun about seeing how things around us have evolved. As an Evansville native, and spending quite a bit of my time in downtown Evansville (that's where the station is located), I've always appreciated the older architecture of the buildings around the area. So, I dug into the Willard Library Archives to see how a few of those areas look now compared to then. Some have changed a little, others quite a bit, and a few don't even exist any more. Take a look.

Gallery Credit: Ryan O'Bryan

Meet the 16 Other Towns Named Evansville in the World

Towns named, Evansville are scattered all across North America from the north to the south to th east to the west and everywhere in between.

Restaurants We Want to See in Evansville in 2023

We asked you on social media, and these are 20 of the top restaurants that you would like to see come to Evansville in 2023. It might be wishful thinking, or we could be putting it into existence. Only time will tell!

Gallery Credit: Travis Sams