Low Incomes Tied to High Weight for Women, Not for Men

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Americans' income has a significant connection to how much they weigh, but in totally different ways for men and women. For women, the lower the income, the higher their weight tends to be. For men, the reverse is true.

American men in the past decade have weighed, on average, 10 pounds more in households with earnings of $75,000 or more (200 pounds) than in households with earnings of less than $30,000 (190 pounds). Women in the high-income bracket weigh, on average, 12 pounds less than those in low-income households -- 152 pounds versus 164 pounds, respectively.

	All adults	Men	Women
	pounds	pounds	pounds
Overall average	178	196	159
Annual household income
Less than $30,000	175	190	164
$30,000-$74,999	179	195	161
$75,000 and above	179	200	152
Aggregated Gallup polls, 2009-2018

These results are based on aggregated data from Gallup's annual November Health and Healthcare surveys from 2009 to 2018. Over that time, Gallup has asked more than 10,000 respondents how much they weigh, with men reporting an average weight of 196 pounds and women an average weight of 159 pounds. In the most recent survey, both men and women are reporting slightly elevated weight levels, but the patterns of weight by gender and income have continued to hold.

Men, Women Differ by Income on Being Overweight, Wanting to Lose Weight

Income can also be a factor when men and women are asked whether they are overweight or underweight, whether they want to lose weight and whether they are seriously trying to lose weight.

• Thirty-eight percent of men with higher incomes describe themselves as overweight, compared with 28% of lower-income men. Among women, 35% in the highest income bracket say they are overweight, 10 percentage points below the 45% among lower- and middle-income women.

• Women in the highest income bracket are as likely as those in the lowest to say they want to lose weight (60% each), but among men, the higher the income, the greater the likelihood of wanting to lose weight.

• The percentage of women who say they are "seriously trying to lose weight" is lowest among those with annual household incomes of $75,000 and above (26%), while there is little difference by income among men.

	Annual household income
	Less than $30,000	$30,000-$74,999	$75,000 and above
	%	%	%
Women who say they are overweight	45	45	35
Men who say they are overweight	28	34	38
Women who would like to lose weight	60	63	60
Men who would like to lose weight	38	46	55
Women who are seriously trying to lose weight	33	31	26
Men who are seriously trying to lose weight	23	20	24
Aggregated Gallup polls, 2009-2018

Overall, women (42%) are more likely than men (34%) to say they are overweight and are more likely than men to say they want to lose weight (61% vs. 47%, respectively). Both women (30%) and men (22%) are much less likely to say they are seriously trying to lose weight than to say they would like to do so.

Bottom Line

There are no obvious answers for why low-income women are more prone to being overweight, while the reverse is true for men. Undoubtedly, the differing roles the two genders have been assigned by society and the differing pressures they face at various income levels provide some clues.

Clues are needed. The warnings about the dangers of being overweight have been sounded throughout the United States for decades, but obesity levels keep climbing. It is no coincidence that women who report to Gallup that they are in only fair or poor health weigh, on average, almost 30 pounds more than those in excellent health, and the gap for men is more than 20 pounds. It is also no coincidence that the gender-and-income group most likely to be in fair or poor health is women in households with incomes below $30,000. While men with high incomes generally can afford various alternatives for controlling their weight, the challenge can be daunting for women in the lowest income brackets.

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