There are three types of diabetes: Type 1, Type 2, and gestational. People with Type 1 diabetes, comprising about 5%-10% of diabetes cases, make very little or no insulin — a hormone that helps regulate blood sugar levels in the body. People with Type 2 diabetes, comprising the majority of cases, may produce insulin but don’t use it well. The third type, gestational diabetes, develops in pregnant women and usually disappears after childbirth.
New cases of Type 2 diabetes have been skyrocketing among young people, and the overall rates of the chronic condition have been on the rise in every state over the last several years.
Minnesota is the state with the 12th largest increase in diabetes diagnosed in people over 20 between 2008 and 2017. In 2008, 5.7% of adults had diabetes, the second lowest prevalence rate of all states. In 2017, the share of adults 20 and over with diabetes rose to 8.5%, the fourth lowest rate.
Several factors may increase the risk of Type 2 diabetes. The ones that cannot be controlled are age and family history. Those that can be controlled include a sedentary lifestyle and a healthy diet. Obesity is a leading risk factor for Type 2 diabetes.
Obesity and severe obesity trends have generally increased over the past decade. In Minnesota, specifically, the adult obesity rate in 2008 was 26.2%, the 21st lowest rate of all states. Almost a decade later, in 2017, 29.0% of adults in Minnesota were obese, the 18th lowest rate.
To determine the states with the highest increase in people with diabetes in a decade, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed 2011 and 2021 diabetes data from County Health Rankings & Roadmaps, a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute joint program. The data released in the 2011 and 2021 reports are for years 2008 and 2017, respectively. This is how much diabetes has risen in every state in a decade.
| State | Diabetes prevalence in 2008 | Diabetes prevalence in 2017 | Adult obesity rate in 2008 | Adult obesity rate in 2017 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | 8.4% | 8.7% | 22.9% | 25.0% |
| Utah | 6.6% | 7.5% | 24.2% | 27.0% |
| Idaho | 8.3% | 9.3% | 25.6% | 29.0% |
| New Jersey | 8.9% | 9.9% | 24.0% | 27.0% |
| Florida | 9.5% | 10.8% | 24.4% | 27.2% |
| Maryland | 9.8% | 11.1% | 27.3% | 31.6% |
| Connecticut | 7.7% | 9.2% | 22.3% | 26.3% |
| California | 7.2% | 8.8% | 22.8% | 24.3% |
| New Hampshire | 8.0% | 9.6% | 25.7% | 28.6% |
| Maine | 8.8% | 10.4% | 26.0% | 29.8% |
| Tennessee | 10.9% | 12.5% | 31.2% | 33.3% |
| Louisiana | 11.4% | 13.0% | 31.5% | 36.3% |
| Mississippi | 12.9% | 14.6% | 34.3% | 39.1% |
| Montana | 7.2% | 8.9% | 23.3% | 27.1% |
| Colorado | 4.8% | 6.6% | 18.7% | 22.4% |
| Wyoming | 7.2% | 9.0% | 25.0% | 29.2% |
| Washington | 7.5% | 9.3% | 26.6% | 28.6% |
| North Dakota | 7.6% | 9.4% | 28.2% | 33.9% |
| Arizona | 7.8% | 9.6% | 23.8% | 27.9% |
| Oregon | 7.9% | 9.7% | 25.1% | 29.3% |
| Michigan | 9.2% | 11.0% | 30.6% | 32.4% |
| Vermont | 6.9% | 8.8% | 22.9% | 27.0% |
| Alaska | 6.4% | 8.3% | 27.9% | 31.9% |
| North Carolina | 9.5% | 11.5% | 28.7% | 32.3% |
| South Carolina | 11.3% | 13.3% | 30.0% | 34.0% |
| Wisconsin | 7.4% | 9.5% | 28.2% | 31.7% |
| Rhode Island | 8.0% | 10.1% | 24.0% | 28.5% |
| Kentucky | 10.6% | 12.7% | 31.2% | 34.6% |
| New York | 7.9% | 10.1% | 24.5% | 26.4% |
| Nevada | 8.1% | 10.5% | 25.4% | 27.1% |
| Ohio | 9.8% | 12.2% | 29.5% | 33.5% |
| Pennsylvania | 8.6% | 11.0% | 28.1% | 30.8% |
| Delaware | 9.2% | 11.8% | 28.5% | 32.4% |
| Indiana | 9.5% | 12.1% | 29.7% | 33.9% |
| Alabama | 11.9% | 14.5% | 31.9% | 36.1% |
| Oklahoma | 9.6% | 12.3% | 30.2% | 34.5% |
| South Dakota | 7.4% | 10.1% | 28.6% | 32.4% |
| West Virginia | 12.3% | 15.1% | 31.5% | 37.8% |
| Minnesota | 5.7% | 8.5% | 26.2% | 29.0% |
| Illinois | 7.1% | 9.9% | 26.3% | 29.7% |
| New Mexico | 6.6% | 9.5% | 22.9% | 27.3% |
| Kansas | 7.6% | 10.5% | 29.0% | 33.0% |
| Virginia | 7.8% | 10.7% | 26.9% | 30.5% |
| Hawaii | 8.2% | 11.1% | 21.2% | 24.6% |
| Nebraska | 6.9% | 10.0% | 28.5% | 33.4% |
| Iowa | 6.5% | 9.9% | 28.1% | 34.3% |
| Missouri | 8.0% | 11.4% | 30.1% | 32.5% |
| Arkansas | 10.0% | 13.5% | 30.3% | 35.0% |
| Texas | 6.5% | 10.2% | 27.0% | 31.4% |
| Georgia | 8.3% | 12.0% | 28.1% | 32.3% |
