From coast to coast, McDonald's is a familiar, if not iconic, brand. While its presence is global and ever-expanding, the United States is home to an exorbitant amount of Golden Arches; the restaurant chain has roughly 15,862 branches nationwide and over 33,000 globally, according to its website.
The Daily Meal compiled a list of states with the most McDonald's according to website, menuism.com. We have also compared the obesity rate statistics throughout the United States by using data from the "F as in Fat" project, produced by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Trust for America's Health.
While there is no direct link between the number of McDonald's locations within a state and the obesity rate for the state, it is worth noting that there is a growing obesity epidemic within the United States and states with higher numbers of McDonald's locations also tend to have higher obesity rates. Childhood obesity, in particular, has also grown as well with approximately 17 percent (or 12.5 million) of children and adolescents ages 2 to 19 years characterized as obese.
According to researchers at the University of Michigan, they have discovered that the risk of stroke increases with the predominance of fast-food restaurants in a neighborhood. The study highlighted the fact that Texas residents with the highest number of fast-food restaurants had a 13 percent higher relative risk of suffering strokes than those living in areas with the lowest number of restaurants. Each additional McDonald's, Jack in the Box or Taco Bell also increased the risk of stroke by 1 percent.
California ranks number one for having the most McDonald's within the state with a whopping 1492 locations. On the opposite end of the spectrum is North Dakota that has only 29 locations. Other states with few McDonald's include Alaska, South Dakota, Vermont, Washington, D.C. and Wyoming, among others.
Coming in at number two on the list with the most outposts is Texas which has roughly 1225 McDonald's'. According to the Texas Department of State of Health Services, the increasing prevalence of overweight and obese children and adults is a growing and real concern for the state. It has even taken the step to provide an ongoing obesity prevention program that partners with partner with state and local organizations to promote science-based nutrition and physical activity interventions, policies and environmental changes to prevent and control obesity and overweight.
For the complete list of the states with the most McDonald's read on.
-- Kristen Oliveri, The Daily Meal
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