One in Five Americans Too Busy Existing to Exercise, Shocking Absolutely No One

KEY POINTS

•The 2024 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services data revealed about one in five Americans report zero physical activity outside work.
•Mississippi, West Virginia, and Arkansas lead with roughly 30% inactive adults, while Washington, D.C., Colorado, and Vermont report the lowest inactivity rates.
•Tennessee did not provide any data, and experts suggest that physically demanding jobs may discourage additional exercise.

According to the 2024 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and America's Health Rankings report, a chilling 20.4% of Americans claim their favorite physical activity is making it from couch to fridge outside work. The worst offenders? Mississippi (30.6%), West Virginia (28.7%), and Arkansas (28.5%)—places with more people avoiding exercise than social events. Meanwhile, fitness fanatics in Washington, D.C. (13.9%), Colorado (15.6%), and Vermont (16%) appear to be outliers in this sedentary saga. Tennessee, meanwhile, pulled a classic Tennessee move and didn't even bother sharing their data — probably because exercise is an urban legend there. Experts theorize that heavy-labor workers in those inactive states might be too pooped from punching timecards to hit the gym, or even the yard, which is basically a three-season exercise plan anyway.