A man walks along the Embarcadero April 6, 2005 in San Francisco. A new WalletHub report ranked the U.S. states on overweight and obese residents. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Just in time for National Diabetes Awareness Month, a new study has identified the 20 states that rank with the highest number of overweight and obese residents.

A WalletHub report compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 31 metrics to determine which states struggle most at losing weight. Data examined included the share of obese and overweight people living in each state, sugary-beverage consumption among adolescents and obesity-related healthcare costs.

The report found West Virginia had the highest percentage of obese adults. Colorado, the state with the lowest percentage, is 1.7 times lower than West Virginia’s total. Mississippi ranked second-most overweight or obese, followed by Arkansas, Louisiana and Alabama.

"West Virginia is the most overweight state overall. A whopping 42% of the state’s adults are classified as obese, and nearly 32% are overweight but not obese," WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said.

It also ranks some of the highest rates of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, heart attacks and high cholesterol, conditions that are linked with obesity.

Obesity-linked health issues cost the state an estimated $58 million each year.

Lupo said the state’s sugary beverage consumption rate among adolescents is the highest in the nation and only about 41% of the population lives near a healthy food retailer, the sixth-lowest percentage in the nation. He said the state also has the sixth-highest rate of physically inactive adults and the second-fewest fitness centers per capita.

Mississippi ranked as the second-most overweight state, with 40.6% of adults being obese and an additional 31.9% classified as overweight but not obese. The state has the highest obesity rate for children 10-17 and the second-highest rate for high school teens.

The Magnolia State has some of the highest rates of hypertension and stroke in the nation. The economic impact of weight-related health issues totals about $56 million annually.