Explore national- and state-level data for hundreds of health, environmental and socioeconomic measures, including background information about each measure. Use features on this page to find measures; view subpopulations, trends and rankings; and download and share content.
Massachusetts Value:
Percentage of adults who reported doing no physical activity or exercise other than their regular job in the past 30 days
Massachusetts Rank:
Additional Measures:
Explore Population Data:
Appears In:
Percentage of adults who reported doing no physical activity or exercise other than their regular job in the past 30 days
US Value: 23.4%
Top State(s): Colorado: 16.8%
Bottom State(s): Mississippi: 31.9%
Definition: Percentage of adults who reported doing no physical activity or exercise other than their regular job in the past 30 days
Data Source and Years(s): CDC, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2022
Suggested Citation: America's Health Rankings analysis of CDC, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, United Health Foundation, AmericasHealthRankings.org, accessed 2024.
Many adults spend a large portion of their time being sedentary (sitting for prolonged periods of time) despite the benefits of regular physical activity. A study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that 8.3% of deaths of non-disabled adults ages 25 and older were attributed to physical inactivity.
Being physically active and reducing sedentary behavior benefits health at all ages. Regular physical activity (at least 150 minutes a week) is associated with reduced risk of:
Costs associated with physical inactivity account for more than 11% of total health care expenditures and are estimated at $117 billion annually.
According to America’s Health Rankings data, the prevalence of physical inactivity is higher among:
The Department of Health and Humans Services’ Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommends that adults move more and sit less throughout the day and states that some physical activity is better than none. A recent study found that an annual 110,000 deaths in the U.S. could be prevented if adults ages 40 and older increased their moderate-to-vigorous physical activity by 10 minutes per day.
Specific physical activity guidelines for adults include:
The CDC makes several community-level recommendations to increase physical activity, including built environment approaches that make it easier and safer for people to walk, run, bike or take transit to get to where they need to go.
The Community Preventive Services Task Force (CPSTF) found that the median economic benefit of improved health from creating or enhancing access to parks, trails and greenways was $3.10 for each dollar invested. Additionally, the CPSTF also includes a list of strategies to increase physical activity, including worksite digital health and telephone interventions.
Healthy People 2030 has several objectives related to physical activity, including:
Carlson, Susan A., E. Kathleen Adams, Zhou Yang, and Janet E. Fulton. “Percentage of Deaths Associated With Inadequate Physical Activity in the United States.” Preventing Chronic Disease 15 (March 29, 2018): 170354. https://doi.org/10.5888/pcd18.170354.
Carlson, Susan A., Janet E. Fulton, Michael Pratt, Zhou Yang, and E. Kathleen Adams. “Inadequate Physical Activity and Health Care Expenditures in the United States.” Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases 57, no. 4 (January 2015): 315–23. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pcad.2014.08.002.
Saint-Maurice, Pedro F., Barry I. Graubard, Richard P. Troiano, David Berrigan, Deborah A. Galuska, Janet E. Fulton, and Charles E. Matthews. “Estimated Number of Deaths Prevented Through Increased Physical Activity Among US Adults.” JAMA Internal Medicine 182, no. 3 (March 1, 2022): 349. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2021.7755.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. “Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd Edition.” Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2018. https://health.gov/sites/default/files/2019-09/Physical_Activity_Guidelines_2nd_edition.pdf.
Yang, Lin, Chao Cao, Elizabeth D. Kantor, Long H. Nguyen, Xiaobin Zheng, Yikyung Park, Edward L. Giovannucci, Charles E. Matthews, Graham A. Colditz, and Yin Cao. “Trends in Sedentary Behavior Among the US Population, 2001-2016.” JAMA 321, no. 16 (April 23, 2019): 1587. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2019.3636.
America’s Health Rankings builds on the work of the United Health Foundation to draw attention to public health and better understand the health of various populations. Our platform provides relevant information that policymakers, public health officials, advocates and leaders can use to effect change in their communities.
We have developed detailed analyses on the health of key populations in the country, including women and children, seniors and those who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces, in addition to a deep dive into health disparities across the country.