SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – More than 37 million Americans are diabetic, but a new study has ranked which states have had the highest increases in diabetes diagnoses.
The study, conducted by High Rise Financial, used state population data and data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to discover alarming diabetes trends. They found that diabetes diagnoses across the U.S. had risen an average of 99.2% between 2000 and 2021.
Oklahoma topped the list of the highest rises in diabetes diagnoses after they had a 147.5% rise in diagnoses. In 2000, there were 136,347 diagnosed cases in the state. But by 2021, 390,413 were being diagnosed. It is believed that high obesity rates are responsible for the increase.
Alaska (139%) and New Mexico (132.1%) had the second and third-highest increases in siagnoses.
The state of Louisiana came in 4th place, with a 126.6% increase in the number of people diagnosed with diabetes per capita.
Kentucky, Mississippi, West Virginia, New Hampshire, Alabama, and Idaho (in that order) rounded out the top ten list.
Is your state featured on the top ten list?
Top ten states with the highest increase in diabetes diagnosis
| State | 2000- Diagnosed diabetes | 2000- Diagnosed diabetes per 100,000 residents | 2021- Diagnosed diabetes | 2021- Diagnosed diabetes per 100,000 residents | Per 100,000, 2000 to 2021 change (%) | |
| 1 | Oklahoma | 136,347 | 3,951.34 | 390,413 | 9,780.78 | 147.5% |
| 2 | Alaska | 16,460 | 2,625.48 | 46,165 | 6,281.61 | 139.3% |
| 3 | New Mexico | 80,490 | 4,424.85 | 217,427 | 10,270.77 | 132.1% |
| 4 | Louisiana | 207,366 | 4,640.12 | 486,568 | 10,515.73 | 126.6% |
| 5 | Kentucky | 193,395 | 4,784.91 | 486,196 | 10,786.14 | 125.4% |
| 6 | Mississippi | 151,491 | 5,325.46 | 345,464 | 11,712.30 | 119.9% |
| 7 | West Virginia | 104,846 | 5,797.90 | 226,294 | 12,675.77 | 118.6% |
| 8 | New Hampshire | 40,222 | 3,254.77 | 98,311 | 7,085.51 | 117.7% |
| 9 | Alabama | 240,517 | 5,408.40 | 593,485 | 11,751.29 | 117.3% |
| 10 | Idaho | 43,475 | 3,359.86 | 138,750 | 7,285.24 | 116.8% |
A spokesperson for High Rise Financial said that the rise in diabetes cases across these states is not just a statistic – it's a wake-up call. The study proves that there is a direct correlation between increased diabetes diagnoses and regions of the country that experience economic hardships with limited access to healthcare.
The full dataset and methodology are available upon request at High Rise Financial.
