Special Report
These Are the Counties In the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI Metro Area Where COVID-19 Is Growing the Slowest
Published:
After adding over 1,660,000 new cases throughout the last week, the U.S. now has more than 76.4 million confirmed cases of COVID-19. There have been more than 900,000 COVID-19-related deaths — the highest death toll of any country.
New cases continue to rise, albeit at a slowing rate. In the past week, there were an average of 99.0 daily new coronavirus cases per 100,000 Americans — a decrease from the week prior, when there were an average of 165.5 daily new coronavirus cases per 100,000 people.
While COVID-19 has spread to nearly every part of the country, cities continue to be the sites of major outbreaks. 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 Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI, metro area consists of Hennepin County, Ramsey County, Dakota County, and 12 other counties. In the past week, there were an average of 143.8 new coronavirus cases every day per 100,000 Minneapolis residents, greater than the national figure. The metro area’s average daily case growth in the most recent week is a decrease from the week prior, when there were an average of 219.4 daily new cases per 100,000 Minneapolis residents.
The spread of coronavirus depends on a variety of factors and can vary even between neighboring counties. Within the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington metro area, COVID-19 is growing the slowest in Pierce County, Wisconsin. There were an average of 88.2 new cases per day per 100,000 residents in Pierce County during the past week, the least of the 15 counties in Minneapolis with available data.
Case growth in the Minneapolis metro area varies at the county level. In Washington County, for example, there were an average of 175.5 new cases per day per 100,000 residents in the past week — the most of any county in Minneapolis and more than the case growth rate in Pierce County.
While Pierce County has the slowest case growth in the Minneapolis area, it does not have the lowest incidence of cases overall. As of February 10, there were a total of 26,464.5 confirmed cases per 100,000 residents in Pierce County, the 10th fewest of the 15 counties in the metro area. For comparison, the U.S. has so far reported 23,544.4 cases per 100,000 Americans nationwide.
The pandemic has led to the closure of thousands of consumer-facing businesses around the country. These changes have led to widespread job loss and record unemployment. These changes have led to widespread job loss and record unemployment. In Pierce County, unemployment peaked at 15.6% in April 2020. As of June 2021, the county’s unemployment rate was 3.9%.
To determine the county in every metropolitan area where COVID-19 is growing the slowest, 24/7 Wall St. compiled and reviewed data from state and local health departments. We ranked counties according to the average number of new daily COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents in the seven days ending February 10. 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 not seasonally adjusted.
Rank in MSA | County | Population | New daily cases per 100,000, week ending February 10 | New daily cases per 100,000, week ending February 3 | Cumulative cases per 100,000 | Cumulative deaths per 100,000 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Pierce County | 41,977 | 88.2 | 162.9 | 26,464.5 | 162.0 |
2 | St. Croix County | 88,732 | 97.2 | 154.4 | 26,680.3 | 151.0 |
3 | Le Sueur County | 28,242 | 111.3 | 157.7 | 21,854.0 | 166.4 |
4 | Ramsey County | 544,442 | 130.2 | 212.7 | 21,816.3 | 232.3 |
5 | Hennepin County | 1,245,837 | 131.7 | 211.1 | 22,971.3 | 194.2 |
6 | Wright County | 134,438 | 137.0 | 178.9 | 26,244.1 | 218.7 |
7 | Mille Lacs County | 25,865 | 141.9 | 158.8 | 26,793.0 | 398.2 |
8 | Isanti County | 39,430 | 142.9 | 193.6 | 24,684.3 | 276.4 |
9 | Scott County | 145,275 | 156.7 | 226.4 | 26,546.9 | 165.9 |
10 | Sherburne County | 94,463 | 158.0 | 229.0 | 27,900.9 | 178.9 |
11 | Dakota County | 421,453 | 163.1 | 245.7 | 25,005.2 | 172.5 |
12 | Anoka County | 350,253 | 163.7 | 239.0 | 27,164.4 | 213.8 |
13 | Chisago County | 55,315 | 165.9 | 189.4 | 25,058.3 | 206.1 |
14 | Carver County | 101,949 | 173.8 | 243.8 | 24,958.6 | 100.1 |
15 | Washington County | 255,938 | 175.5 | 262.6 | 24,989.3 | 178.9 |
Finding a qualified financial advisor doesn’t have to be hard. SmartAsset’s free tool matches you with up to 3 fiduciary financial advisors in your area in 5 minutes. Each advisor has been vetted by SmartAsset and is held to a fiduciary standard to act in your best interests. If you’re ready to be matched with local advisors that can help you achieve your financial goals, get started now.
Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.