Where to Live if You Want to Be Thin: America's Fattest Cities, Ranked

Thanks to diets heavy in processed foods, America is the most obese country in the world, according to data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Roughly one-third of adults in the United States are overweight, which leads to increased medical costs and health problems like heart disease and diabetes.

But a new study from WalletHub suggests that where you live could be just as important as diet when it comes to your risk of obesity.

Related: Exercise Fights Illness by Keeping Immune System Young

WalletHub compared 100 of the most populated metro areas across the U.S. and looked for 18 indicators of weight-related issues, including how many people were obese, diabetic, had high cholesterol and were physically active.

The personal finance site found that Little Rock, Arkansas, was the "fattest" city, but it did not rank as the most "obese" area. The McAllen, Texas, region scored the top spot with the highest number of obese adults. But Little Rock did have a large number of diabetic and physically inactive people, coming in at number five for both categories.

The healthiest people live in the Portland, Washington, area (it ranks 100 on the list of "fattest" areas), while Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, had the fewest number of overweight adults. Given that regular exercise is linked to lower weights, it's unsurprising that the areas who were most active also had the fewest weight issues.

Here's WalletHub's Top 10 Fattest Cities in America. For the full list, visit WalletHub.com.

1. Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR
2. Shreveport-Bossier City, LA
3. McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX
4. Memphis, TN-MS-AR
5. Mobile, AL
6. Knoxville, TN
7. Jackson, MS
8. Birmingham-Hoover, AL
9. Baton Rouge, LA
10. Lexington-Fayette, KY

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, obesity is more common in adults 40 and older. The CDC's data indicates that women who make more money are less likely to be obese than low-income females. Education has also been identified as an obesity risk factor for women, with college-educated females being less likely to have weight problems compared to those who never went. This relationship is not seen in men.

Although losing weight is never easy, most doctors recommend the standard advice: regular exercise, plenty of fruits and vegetables and easy on the processed snacks.