OBJECTIVES: To assess the clinical and economic burden of obesity in the U.S. veteran population. METHODS: This analysis was conducted on a study sample from the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Medical SAS datasets from 2005 through 2012. All patients diagnosed with obesity during the study period were identified using International Classification of Disease 9thRevision Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) diagnosis code 278.x. Patient body mass index (BMI), clinical status and economic burden were examined. Descriptive statistics were calculated as means ± standard deviation (SD) and percentages to measure the cost, and utilization distribution in the sample.  RESULTS: A total of 1,082,170 veteran patients were diagnosed with obesity in the study period. The average BMI of these patients was 36.27. Among these patients, 48.58% had a BMI of ≥35, and 36.40% had a BMI between 30 and 35. The total number of patients with a BMI of <25 was only 0.3%. Unspecified essential hypertension (26.61%), type 2 diabetes mellitus (19.02%) and unspecified hyperlipidemia (9.36%) were the most commonly diagnosed comorbid conditions. Almost all patients had follow-up outpatient visits (99.97%), and only 10.58% of patients experienced an inpatient admission. Average inpatient costs for these patients were $3164; outpatient costs were $6700; office visit costs $6277; pharmacy costs $1296; and emergency room (ER) costs $192. CONCLUSIONS: Hypertension, diabetes and hyperlipidemia may be related to obesity. Comorbid conditions should be assessed and treated to improve the overall burden of illness in obese patients.