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10 States That Consume Too Much Fast Food

Americans love fast food. (We spent $165 billion on it in 2010.) But we don't all love it equally. Like the obesity rate, fast-food consumption varies widely by region, and residents of some states disproportionately choose fast food over other options when they go out to eat. Using government data, we've identified the 10 states where consumption is most prevalent.

Credit: Corbis

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Texas

Houston has a problem—as do Dallas, San Antonio, El Paso, and Corpus Christi. In 2010, these cities accounted for half of the top 10 slots in Men's Health's annual list of the "fattest" U.S. cities. (Not surprisingly, some also have unusually high rates of "heavy users" of fast food.)

The state's weight problem is especially bad among kids. More than 20% of all 10- to 17-year-old Texans are obese, thanks in part to food deserts and financial hardship—a combo that encourages fast-food consumption. "About half of Texas children grow up in low-income households, where cheap but satiating junk food might be all that fits the family budget," the CEO of an advocacy group noted in 2010.

Next: Utah