Virginia is home to the first English settlement in the US, Jamestown. Six US Presidents — George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, William Harrison, John Tyler, Zachary Taylor, and Woodrow Wilson — were born in Virginia, and seven Presidents — Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, Tyler, William Howard Taft, and John F. Kennedy — are buried in Virginia.
British General Charles Cornwallis’ surrender of his army in Yorktown, VA, on October 19, 1781, signaled the conclusion of the Revolutionary War. The 10th of the 13 original US colonies, Virginia, was admitted to the Union on June 25, 1788. The US Navy’s Atlantic fleet is based in Virginia, and the Pentagon in Arlington is the largest office building in the world.
Despite all the US history woven into the fabric of Virginia, modern history shows an increase in its population’s obesity. Of the 133 counties that make up Virginia, only two — Portsmouth City and Fairfax City — reduced their respective population’s obesity percentages during the decade spanning 2012 to 2022. Portsmouth City dropped two points from 39 to 37 percent, and Fairfax City nixed one point from 28 to 27 percent.
Check out the infographic with the percentages for all 133 of Virginia’s counties below:
Created by BarBend • Viewlarger version
[Related: Virginia’s Top 50 Cities for Fit Lifestyles]
Four Virginia counties maintained their respective population’s obesity percentages over the decade — Culpeper, Fairfax, Gloucester, and Northumberland. The other 127 counties saw their respective population’s obesity percentage increase during that time.
The two counties with the most significant leaps in obesity percentage were Emporia City and Danville City, which saw 13 percent increases each since 2012. Including those two, nine counties endured double-digit increases in their populations’ obesity percentages. The other seven are Southampton, Mecklenburg, Franklin City, Bristol City, Pittsylvania, Henry, and Alleghany.
Only nine counties have an obesity percentage below 30 percent as of 2022: Fairfax City, Fairfax, Gloucester, Albemarle, Roanoke, Falls Church City, Loudoun, Arlington, and Alexandria City. Fairfax and Arlington, each at 24 percent, have the lowest percentage of obesity.
On the other end of the spectrum, 15 counties have an obesity percentage of 40 percent or greater: Emporia City, Danville City, Southampton, Mecklenburg, Franklin City, Charlotte, Martinsville City, Buckingham, Petersburg City, Lunenburg, Essex, Accomack, Greensville, Brunswick, and Hampton City.
Featured image via Shutterstock/Mihai_Andritoiu
