Health and Healthcare

These Are the 5 Most Dangerous Counties in Every State for COVID-19

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Douglas A. McIntyre
Published:

The acceleration in the spread of COVID-19 in the United States in the past month is nothing short of astonishing. Confirmed cases now routinely rise by over 150,000 a day, on the way to what experts think will be 250,000. Fatal cases per day have risen to 1,500, and experts fear that could double. Currently, total confirmed cases in the United States stand at 12,679,209 and fatalities at 263,525.

Some parts of the country are much worse off than others. Currently, the states in the upper Midwest are taking the brunt of the disease. This includes Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa. Case counts in states where the growth has slowed also have picked up. This includes, in particular, New York, which was hit worse than any other state in terms of deaths during a horrible period from late March through April. The state still has more fatal cases than any other.

The effects of the disease on any area are measured in several ways. Among the most widely followed are cases per 100,000 people. This shows how deeply COVID-19 has spread in any given county. It also can be a sign of likely future spread because such a large portion of the population already has been affected.

Until vaccines can slow and eventually start to eliminate COVID-19, people have to be on guard for the spread of the disease in their own communities. 24/7 Wall St. has looked at each state to determine the counties where the cases per 100,000 are the highest. We also have shown a more grim figure, which is deaths per 100,000.

The ways that people can protect themselves regardless of the intensity of the spread of the disease have changed very little since the start of the pandemic. Wear masks, social distance, wash hands and when talking stay outside as much as possible. Just as important, do not gather inside in groups of more than a few people.

This list shows the five counties in each state where the cases per 100,000 are the highest. It provides a picture of which areas in a state are most dangerous in terms of the spread of the disease.

Alabama
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Franklin 31,542 2,436 33 7,723.04 104.62
Lowndes 10,236 785 29 7,669.01 283.31
Perry 9,486 668 6 7,041.96 63.25
Bullock 10,352 689 19 6,655.72 183.54
Clay 13,378 888 23 6,637.76 171.92
Alaska
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Bethel 18,040 1,149 1 6,369.18 5.54
Anchorage 296,112 14,702 64 4,965.01 21.61
Kusilvak 8,198 387 0 4,720.66 0.00
Northwest Arctic 7,734 338 0 4,370.31 0.00
North Slope 9,797 407 0 4,154.33 0.00
Arizona
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Yuma 207,829 16,700 375 8,035.45 180.44
Santa Cruz 46,584 3,588 68 7,702.22 145.97
Navajo 108,705 7,602 267 6,993.24 245.62
Apache 71,522 4,921 193 6,880.40 269.85
Graham 37,879 1,904 33 5,026.53 87.12
Arkansas
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Lincoln 13,695 2,389 18 17,444.32 131.43
Lee 9,398 1,159 18 12,332.41 191.53
Chicot 10,826 1,134 25 10,474.78 230.93
Sevier 17,193 1,648 17 9,585.30 98.88
Jackson 17,225 1,518 6 8,812.77 34.83
California
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Imperial 180,216 15,053 353 8,352.75 195.88
Kings 150,075 10,019 86 6,676.00 57.30
Tulare 460,477 19,752 303 4,289.47 65.80
Kern 883,053 37,403 445 4,235.65 50.39
Merced 269,075 10,849 176 4,031.96 65.41
Colorado
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Crowley 5,630 1,007 1 17,886.32 17.76
Logan 21,689 2,005 28 9,244.32 129.10
Adams 497,115 26,129 315 5,256.13 63.37
Morgan 28,257 1,445 51 5,113.78 180.49
Denver 693,417 32,533 506 4,691.69 72.97
Connecticut
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Fairfield 944,348 33,648 1,471 3,563.09 155.77
New Haven 859,339 25,248 1,190 2,938.07 138.48
Hartford 894,730 25,182 1,553 2,814.48 173.57
New London 268,881 5,352 163 1,990.47 60.62
Litchfield 183,031 3,602 156 1,967.97 85.23
Delaware
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Sussex 219,540 9,682 255 4,410.13 116.15
New Castle 555,133 17,587 370 3,168.07 66.65
Kent 174,822 4,439 123 2,539.15 70.36
Florida
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Lafayette 8,744 1,305 19 14,924.52 217.29
Union 15,239 1,210 58 7,940.15 380.60
Miami-Dade 2,715,516 214,943 3,766 7,915.36 138.68
Jackson 48,472 3,712 89 7,658.03 183.61
Suwannee 43,924 3,209 86 7,305.80 195.79
Georgia
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Chattahoochee 10,767 1,918 3 17,813.69 27.86
Stewart 6,042 572 17 9,467.06 281.36
Clinch 6,743 487 13 7,222.30 192.79
Whitfield 103,849 7,211 77 6,943.74 74.15
Appling 18,454 1,220 38 6,611.03 205.92
Hawaii
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Honolulu 987,638 14,794 182 1,497.92 18.43
Hawaii 197,658 1,541 32 779.63 16.19
Maui 165,281 607 0 367.25 0.00
Kauai 71,377 97 0 135.90 0.00
Idaho
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Madison 38,705 3,813 7 9,851.44 18.09
Cassia 23,615 2,001 17 8,473.43 71.99
Minidoka 20,615 1,647 14 7,989.33 67.91
Twin Falls 83,666 6,393 75 7,641.10 89.64
Jerome 23,431 1,774 13 7,571.17 55.48
Illinois
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Clinton 37,628 2,943 56 7,821.30 148.83
Effingham 34,174 2,433 17 7,119.45 49.75
Kankakee 111,061 7,753 96 6,980.85 86.44
Cass 12,665 871 19 6,877.22 150.02
Carroll 14,562 978 24 6,716.11 164.81
Indiana
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Elkhart 203,604 16,389 209 8,049.45 102.65
Cass 38,084 2,912 31 7,646.26 81.40
Marshall 46,595 2,836 42 6,086.49 90.14
Fayette 23,259 1,412 33 6,070.77 141.88
St. Joseph 269,240 16,125 217 5,989.08 80.60
Iowa
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Buena Vista 20,260 2,893 14 14,279.37 69.10
Jones 20,568 2,191 11 10,652.47 53.48
Plymouth 25,039 2,569 37 10,259.99 147.77
Calhoun 9,780 978 7 10,000.00 71.57
Sioux 34,825 3,482 25 9,998.56 71.79
Kansas
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Norton 5,486 1,025 N/A 18,683.92 N/A
Ford 34,484 4,421 N/A 12,820.44 N/A
Sheridan 2,506 288 N/A 11,492.42 N/A
Seward 22,692 2,486 N/A 10,955.40 N/A
Gove 2,619 272 N/A 10,385.64 N/A
Kentucky
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Lee 6,751 850 13 12,590.73 192.56
Elliott 7,517 562 0 7,476.39 0.00
Monroe 10,634 662 9 6,225.32 84.63
Warren 126,427 6,703 61 5,301.87 48.25
Fayette 318,734 15,540 104 4,875.54 32.63
Louisiana
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
East Feliciana 19,499 2,074 84 10,636.44 430.79
East Carroll 7,225 692 9 9,577.85 124.57
Madison 11,472 1,026 13 8,943.51 113.32
Franklin 20,322 1,669 58 8,212.77 285.40
Allen 25,661 2,060 67 8,027.75 261.10
Maine
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Androscoggin 107,444 1,370 16 1,275.08 14.89
Cumberland 290,944 3,556 71 1,222.23 24.40
York 203,102 2,040 27 1,004.42 13.29
Somerset 50,710 402 13 792.74 25.64
Franklin 30,019 194 3 646.26 9.99
Maryland
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Prince George’s 906,202 38,699 907 4,270.46 100.09
Baltimore City 614,700 22,699 540 3,692.70 87.85
Allegany 71,977 2,421 52 3,363.57 72.25
Baltimore 827,625 26,967 703 3,258.36 84.94
Wicomico 102,172 3,148 55 3,081.08 53.83
Massachusetts
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Suffolk 791,766 34,870 1,225 4,404.08 154.72
Essex 781,024 31,725 1,424 4,061.98 182.32
Bristol 558,905 18,018 828 3,223.80 148.15
Hampden 469,116 14,404 883 3,070.46 188.23
Worcester 822,280 22,670 1,237 2,756.97 150.44
Michigan
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Delta 36,190 2,286 56 6,316.66 154.74
Iron 11,212 674 32 6,011.42 285.41
Dickinson 25,570 1,527 30 5,971.84 117.32
Menominee 23,234 1,186 12 5,104.59 51.65
Gogebic 15,414 702 20 4,554.30 129.75
Minnesota
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Nobles 21,839 2,938 28 13,453.00 128.21
Kandiyohi 42,658 3,376 13 7,914.11 30.47
Stearns 156,819 12,003 89 7,654.05 56.75
Lyon 25,839 1,898 10 7,345.49 38.70
Pipestone 9,185 656 18 7,142.08 195.97
Mississippi
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Issaquena 1,328 109 4 8,207.83 301.20
Neshoba 29,376 2,170 113 7,386.98 384.67
Bolivar 32,592 2,375 83 7,287.06 254.66
Sunflower 26,532 1,887 54 7,112.17 203.53
Montgomery 10,198 719 25 7,050.40 245.15
Missouri
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Sullivan 6,317 536 6 8,485.04 94.98
Perry 19,146 1,436 8 7,500.26 41.78
Cole 76,740 5,620 38 7,323.43 49.52
Moniteau 15,958 1,137 15 7,124.95 94.00
New Madrid 17,811 1,245 23 6,990.06 129.13
Montana
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Big Horn 13,376 1,759 50 13,150.42 373.80
Toole 4,976 589 8 11,836.82 160.77
Roosevelt 11,228 1,181 39 10,518.35 347.35
Rosebud 9,250 842 23 9,102.70 248.65
Glacier 13,699 1,137 18 8,299.88 131.40
Nebraska
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Dakota 20,317 3,006 49 14,795.49 241.18
Colfax 10,760 1,228 10 11,412.64 92.94
Saline 14,288 1,363 3 9,539.47 21.00
Platte 33,063 2,871 19 8,683.42 57.47
Madison 35,164 2,845 16 8,090.66 45.50
Nevada
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Clark 2,141,574 104,624 1,690 4,885.38 78.91
Washoe 450,486 21,175 236 4,700.48 52.39
Elko 52,252 2,364 16 4,524.23 30.62
Lincoln 5,174 162 1 3,131.04 19.33
Carson 54,467 1,596 13 2,930.21 23.87
New Hampshire
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Hillsborough 411,087 7,591 331 1,846.57 80.52
Rockingham 305,129 4,017 105 1,316.49 34.41
Strafford 128,237 1,378 14 1,074.57 10.92
Merrimack 149,452 1,443 34 965.53 22.75
Belknap 60,640 511 7 842.68 11.54
New Jersey
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Passaic 504,041 27,065 1,299 5,369.60 257.72
Union 553,066 26,043 1,420 4,708.84 256.75
Hudson 668,631 29,116 1,557 4,354.57 232.86
Essex 793,555 32,778 2,202 4,130.53 277.49
Bergen 929,999 31,851 2,101 3,424.84 225.91
New Mexico
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
McKinley 72,849 6,180 274 8,483.30 376.12
Luna 24,264 1,794 23 7,393.67 94.79
Chaves 65,459 3,925 32 5,996.12 48.89
Curry 50,199 2,835 16 5,647.52 31.87
Dona Ana 215,338 12,072 164 5,606.07 76.16
New York
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Rockland 323,686 20,602 522 6,364.81 161.27
Westchester 968,815 46,841 1,500 4,834.88 154.83
Richmond 474,101 21,046 772 4,439.14 162.83
Bronx 1,437,872 60,979 3,419 4,240.92 237.78
Orange 378,227 15,872 428 4,196.42 113.16
North Carolina
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Greene 21,008 1,146 21 5,455.06 99.96
Duplin 59,062 3,218 56 5,448.51 94.82
Sampson 63,561 3,421 35 5,382.23 55.07
Scotland 35,262 1,865 37 5,288.98 104.93
Robeson 133,442 7,045 107 5,279.45 80.18
North Dakota
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Eddy 2,313 342 4 14,785.99 172.94
Foster 3,290 437 3 13,282.67 91.19
Walsh 10,802 1,336 10 12,368.08 92.58
Morton 30,544 3,761 66 12,313.38 216.08
Burleigh 93,737 11,050 112 11,788.30 119.48
Ohio
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Marion 65,344 4,514 51 6,908.06 78.05
Mercer 40,806 2,812 37 6,891.14 90.67
Pickaway 57,420 3,879 48 6,755.49 83.59
Putnam 33,969 2,186 49 6,435.28 144.25
Auglaize 45,784 2,189 25 4,781.15 54.60
Oklahoma
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Texas 21,121 2,208 11 10,454.05 52.08
Woodward 20,967 1,685 6 8,036.44 28.62
Okfuskee 12,115 904 13 7,461.82 107.30
McCurtain 32,966 2,203 44 6,682.64 133.47
Jackson 25,384 1,688 27 6,649.86 106.37
Oregon
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Malheur 30,431 2,308 39 7,584.37 128.16
Morrow 11,215 619 7 5,519.39 62.42
Umatilla 76,898 4,099 48 5,330.44 62.42
Jefferson 23,143 765 11 3,305.54 47.53
Union 26,028 691 2 2,654.83 7.68
Pennsylvania
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Centre 161,443 5,718 35 3,541.81 21.68
Philadelphia 1,575,522 54,932 1,979 3,486.59 125.61
Huntingdon 45,421 1,550 47 3,412.52 103.48
Lebanon 138,674 4,712 101 3,397.90 72.83
Delaware 563,527 18,404 786 3,265.86 139.48
Rhode Island
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Providence 634,533 31,512 N/A 4,966.17 N/A
Kent 163,861 4,152 N/A 2,533.85 N/A
Bristol 48,900 1,044 N/A 2,134.97 N/A
Washington 126,242 1,891 N/A 1,497.92 N/A
Newport 83,075 1,046 N/A 1,259.10 N/A
South Carolina
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Newberry 38,068 2,040 62 5,358.83 162.87
Williamsburg 31,794 1,594 50 5,013.52 157.26
Bamberg 14,600 726 37 4,972.60 253.42
Marlboro 27,131 1,341 16 4,942.69 58.97
Lee 17,606 858 37 4,873.34 210.16
South Dakota
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Bon Homme 6,969 1,318 14 18,912.33 200.89
Buffalo 2,053 360 6 17,535.31 292.26
Dewey 5,779 741 3 12,822.29 51.91
Aurora 2,759 333 3 12,069.59 108.74
Beadle 18,374 2,161 25 11,761.18 136.06
Tennessee
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Trousdale 9,573 1,890 12 19,743.03 125.35
Lake 7,526 1,144 5 15,200.64 66.44
Wayne 16,649 1,793 10 10,769.42 60.06
Haywood 17,779 1,591 29 8,948.76 163.11
Hardeman 25,562 2,203 37 8,618.26 144.75
Texas
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Childress 7,226 812 0 11,237.20 0.00
Hale 34,113 3,742 86 10,969.43 252.10
El Paso 837,654 81,179 973 9,691.23 116.16
Potter 120,899 11,521 139 9,529.44 114.97
Lubbock 301,454 28,375 303 9,412.71 100.51
Utah
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Utah 590,440 44,858 119 7,597.39 20.15
Salt Lake 1,120,805 73,469 379 6,555.02 33.81
San Juan 15,281 987 31 6,459.00 202.87
Wasatch 30,523 1,890 12 6,192.05 39.31
Summit 40,511 2,076 3 5,124.53 7.41
Vermont
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Washington 58,477 548 2 937.12 3.42
Chittenden 162,052 1,361 39 839.85 24.07
Orange 28,937 172 0 594.39 0.00
Lamoille 25,268 134 1 530.32 3.96
Bennington 35,920 187 1 520.60 2.78
Virginia
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Greensville 11,659 928 16 7,959.52 137.23
Galax 6,638 528 30 7,954.20 451.94
Franklin 8,211 534 16 6,503.47 194.86
Harrisonburg 53,391 3,359 36 6,291.32 67.43
Radford 17,630 1,102 2 6,250.71 11.34
Washington
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Franklin 90,660 5,813 70 6,411.87 77.21
Adams 19,452 1,243 11 6,390.09 56.55
Yakima 249,325 12,815 292 5,139.88 117.12
Whitman 48,593 2,193 23 4,513.00 47.33
Grant 94,860 3,799 32 4,004.85 33.73
West Virginia
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Mingo 24,741 915 14 3,698.31 56.59
Mineral 27,278 989 8 3,625.63 29.33
Marshall 31,645 1,011 14 3,194.82 44.24
Ohio 42,547 1,301 16 3,057.79 37.61
McDowell 19,217 569 1 2,960.92 5.20
Wisconsin
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Menominee 4,579 536 2 11,705.61 43.68
Dodge 87,776 7,697 66 8,768.91 75.19
Shawano 41,009 3,534 44 8,617.62 107.29
Brown 259,786 21,156 127 8,143.63 48.89
Oconto 37,556 2,981 23 7,937.48 61.24
Wyoming
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Albany 38,102 2,859 9 7,503.54 23.62
Fremont 40,076 2,954 25 7,371.00 62.38
Teton 23,059 1,371 2 5,945.62 8.67
Sheridan 30,012 1,652 10 5,504.46 33.32
Campbell 47,708 2,556 7 5,357.59 14.67

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