COVID-19: How Cases in the Johnstown, PA Metro Area Compare to Other Major Metros

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By Steven M. Peters Published
COVID-19: How Cases in the Johnstown, PA Metro Area Compare to Other Major Metros

© Go Nakamura / Getty Images News via Getty Images

The U.S. reported over 289,000 new cases of coronavirus on July 20, bringing the total count to more than 33.7 million confirmed cases of COVID-19. There have been more than 603,000 COVID-19-related deaths — the highest death toll of any country.

New cases continue to rise at a steady rate. In the past week, there were an average of 7.5 daily new coronavirus cases per 100,000 Americans — essentially unchanged from the week prior, when there were an average of 4.5 daily new coronavirus cases per 100,000 people.

While new data shows that the risk of contracting COVID-19 is high in almost every part of the country, cities continue to be the sites of major outbreaks and superspreader events. Experts agree that the virus is more likely to spread in group settings where large numbers of people routinely have close contact with one another, such as colleges, nursing homes, bars, and restaurants. Metropolitan areas with a high degree of connectivity between different neighborhoods and a large population may be particularly at-risk.

The Johnstown, PA metro area consists of just Cambria County. As of July 20, there were 11,166.2 confirmed cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 Johnstown residents, roughly in line with the national rate. For comparison, the U.S. has so far reported 10,449.4 cases per 100,000 Americans nationwide.

In order to slow the spread of COVID-19, city and county governments have ordered the closure of thousands of consumer-facing businesses. These measures have led to widespread job loss and record unemployment. In the Johnstown metro area, unemployment peaked at 18.1% in April 2020. As of May 2021, the metro area’s unemployment rate was 7.5%.

To determine how the incidence of COVID-19 in the Johnstown, PA metro area compares to the rest of the country, 24/7 Wall St. compiled and reviewed data from state and local health departments. We ranked metro areas based on the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents.To estimate the incidence of COVID-19 at the metropolitan level, we aggregated data from the county level using boundary definitions from the U.S. Census Bureau. Population data used to adjust case and death totals came from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2019 American Community Survey and are five-year estimates. Unemployment data is from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and is seasonally adjusted.

These are all the counties in Pennsylvania where COVID-19 is slowing (and where it’s still getting worse).

FIPS MSA Population Confirmed COVID-19 cases as of July 20 Confirmed COVID-19 cases as of July 20 per 100,000 residents Cumulative COVID-19 deaths as of July 20 Cumulative COVID-19 deaths as of July 20 per 100,000 residents
39740 Reading, PA 418,025 48,583 11,622.0 1,044 249.7
30140 Lebanon, PA 139,729 16,233 11,617.5 295 211.1
27780 Johnstown, PA 133,009 14,852 11,166.2 441 331.6
10900 Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ 837,610 92,520 11,045.7 1,997 238.4
11020 Altoona, PA 123,157 13,530 10,986.0 344 279.3
49620 York-Hanover, PA 445,565 47,205 10,594.4 835 187.4
48700 Williamsport, PA 114,330 11,990 10,487.2 298 260.6
44300 State College, PA 161,960 16,961 10,472.3 228 140.8
29540 Lancaster, PA 540,999 55,564 10,270.6 1,170 216.3
16540 Chambersburg-Waynesboro, PA 154,147 15,520 10,068.3 376 243.9
37980 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 6,079,130 590,181 9,708.3 13,147 216.3
42540 Scranton–Wilkes-Barre, PA 555,642 52,847 9,511.0 1,366 245.8
23900 Gettysburg, PA 102,470 9,727 9,492.5 189 184.4
14100 Bloomsburg-Berwick, PA 83,974 7,925 9,437.4 203 241.7
38300 Pittsburgh, PA 2,331,447 207,572 8,903.1 4,405 188.9
25420 Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA 571,013 50,763 8,890.0 1,189 208.2
20700 East Stroudsburg, PA 168,032 14,909 8,872.7 322 191.6
21500 Erie, PA 273,835 21,273 7,768.5 419 153.0
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