West Virginia is named America’s UNHEALTHIEST state, alongside Mississippi, Tennessee and Arkansas with smoking, drug abuse and diabetes blamed for lower life expectancies

A groundbreaking study has determined the unhealthiest place to live in America — and it’s bad news for millions of people in the South.

By combining 21 metrics, including the percentage of adults who smoke, obesity rates and cancer mortality, Forbes Advisor found that West Virginia is the worst state in America for staying in shape.

One in five people in the Mountain State smoke, and it also ranks first in mortality from diabetes and second in shortest life expectancy, at just 73.9 years.

Mississippi, Tennessee and Arkansas helped the South emerge as the least healthy region in the US, while Hawaii’s residents blew the competition out of the water as the island came out on top.

Five of America’s ten healthiest states are on the East Coast, but Hawaii came out on top thanks to its long life expectancy and exercise-obsessed residents

To make West Virginia one of the unhealthiest in America, its residents adopted some of the worst habits available.

The state has the highest percentage of adults with obesity in America at 41 percent, the same percentage of adults with high cholesterol, while the state also has the highest mortality rate from diabetes at a shocking 41.7 percent.

West Virginia has the highest drug overdose death rate at 75.03 per 100,000 residents, more than 50 percent higher than the second-worst state of Delaware, at a time when officials have struggled to prevent drug overdoses. numbness sweeps the state.

The state also recently ranked last among the most diverse states in America.

Of the top 10 states with the unhealthiest populations, eight are in the South, with residents of Tennessee, Arkansas, Kentucky, Alabama and Louisiana also ranking poorly.

However, Mississippi is the closest state to West Virginia, mainly because of its problems with disease and health care services.

The state ranks first in cancer mortality with 178.97 deaths per 100,000 residents, while also having the highest death rates in hypertension, kidney disease and stroke.

It also has the shortest life expectancy in the country at 73.63 years, and adults in the state were the most likely to say they had not exercised in the past month at 31.9 percent.

Tennessee, Arkansas and Kentucky round out the top five, while Oklahoma, Ohio and Indiana also rank in the top 10 unhealthiest states in the country.

West Virginia (photo) is the unhealthiest state in America. One in five people in the Mountain State smoke, and the nation also ranks first in mortality from diabetes and second in shortest life expectancy, at just 73.9 years.

Hawaii residents’ obsession with health has placed the Aloha State first among America’s healthiest states, with a life expectancy of 80.87 years, the second lowest in obesity at 25.9 percent, and the fifth and sixth lowest for drug and cigarette use.

Experts warn that America is becoming increasingly unhealthy. From 2025 to 2060, the number of Americans suffering from diabetes is expected to increase by 39.3 percent, hypertension by 27.2 percent and obesity by 18.3 percent

On the other end of the spectrum, Hawaii rose to first place thanks to its residents’ love of exercise and their aversion to drugs and smoking.

The Aloha State ranks first in life expectancy at 80.87 years, second in obesity at 25.9 percent, and fifth and sixth in drug and cigarette use.

While much of the rest of the top 10 is on the East Coast, Utah emerged as the second healthiest state in America.

The highly religious state has the fourth lowest percentage of adults who are heavy drinkers (just five percent), the lowest percentage of smokers (6.7 percent) and the second lowest number of adults who have not exercised in the past month ( 16.9 percent).

The state’s residents also performed well in a number of health metrics, including the lowest cancer death rate, second-lowest blood pressure rate and fourth-lowest levels of high cholesterol.

After Utah, Connecticut, Minnesota and Massachusetts make up the top five healthiest states.

In compiling the list, Forbes says it found, according to the CDC, that many Americans are rapidly becoming less healthy, with six in 10 adults now suffering from at least one chronic disease.

According to the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, between 2025 and 2060, the number of Americans suffering from diabetes is expected to increase by 39.3 percent, hypertension by 27.2 percent and obesity by 18.3 percent.