Health and Healthcare

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

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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 2,000, and experts fear that could double. Currently, total confirmed cases in the United States stand at 15,038,546 and fatalities at 286,692.

Some parts of the country are much worse off than others. The states in the upper Midwest are now taking the brunt of the disease. This includes Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa. Case counts in states where the growth slowed earlier in the year 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.

The Five Most Dangerous Counties by State

Alabama
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Franklin 31,542 2,694 34 8,540.99 107.79
Lowndes 10,236 837 30 8,177.02 293.08
Marshall 95,145 7,133 58 7,496.98 60.96
DeKalb 71,200 5,334 44 7,491.57 61.80
Jackson 52,094 3,896 23 7,478.79 44.15
Alaska
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Bethel 18,040 1,576 7 8,736.14 38.80
Anchorage 296,112 16,457 80 5,557.69 27.02
Kusilvak 8,198 414 2 5,050.01 24.40
Northwest Arctic 7,734 351 0 4,538.40 0.00
North Slope 9,797 440 1 4,491.17 10.21
Arizona
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Santa Cruz 46,584 4,416 76 9,479.65 163.15
Yuma 207,829 19,643 409 9,451.52 196.80
Apache 71,522 5,864 200 8,198.88 279.63
Navajo 108,705 8,766 277 8,064.03 254.82
Graham 37,879 2,369 38 6,254.12 100.32
Arkansas
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Lincoln 13,695 2,569 19 18,758.67 138.74
Lee 9,398 1,258 18 13,385.83 191.53
Jackson 17,225 2,131 11 12,371.55 63.86
Chicot 10,826 1,260 28 11,638.65 258.64
Sevier 17,193 1,800 18 10,469.38 104.69
California
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Imperial 180,216 16,544 360 9,180.09 199.76
Kings 150,075 11,898 93 7,928.04 61.97
Lassen 31,185 2,168 2 6,952.06 6.41
San Bernardino 2,135,413 105,382 1,175 4,934.97 55.02
Tulare 460,477 22,660 317 4,920.98 68.84
Colorado
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Crowley 5,630 1,336 5 23,730.02 88.81
Logan 21,689 2,521 40 11,623.40 184.43
Lincoln 5,548 557 0 10,039.65 0.00
Fremont 47,002 3,278 7 6,974.17 14.89
Bent 5,809 392 1 6,748.15 17.21
Connecticut
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Fairfield 944,348 41,535 1,545 4,398.27 163.60
New Haven 859,339 32,843 1,291 3,821.89 150.23
Hartford 894,730 30,879 1,630 3,451.21 182.18
Litchfield 183,031 4,931 174 2,694.08 95.07
New London 268,881 6,648 180 2,472.47 66.94
Delaware
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Sussex 219,540 11,165 268 5,085.63 122.07
New Castle 555,133 22,705 392 4,090.01 70.61
Kent 174,822 5,945 133 3,400.60 76.08
Florida
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Lafayette 8,744 1,363 21 15,587.83 240.16
Miami-Dade 2,715,516 243,050 3,913 8,950.42 144.10
Jackson 48,472 4,009 97 8,270.75 200.12
Union 15,239 1,259 61 8,261.70 400.29
Suwannee 43,924 3,403 87 7,747.47 198.07
Georgia
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Chattahoochee 10,767 2,025 3 18,807.47 27.86
Stewart 6,042 582 17 9,632.57 281.36
Whitfield 103,849 8,243 90 7,937.49 86.66
Clinch 6,743 495 13 7,340.95 192.79
Echols 3,994 282 3 7,060.59 75.11
Hawaii
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Honolulu 987,638 15,782 199 1,597.95 20.15
Hawaii 197,658 1,640 43 829.72 21.75
Kauai 71,377 119 1 166.72 1.40
Maui 165,281 19 0 11.50 0.00
Idaho
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Madison 38,705 4,487 9 11,592.82 23.25
Cassia 23,615 2,252 18 9,536.31 76.22
Minidoka 20,615 1,819 18 8,823.67 87.32
Twin Falls 83,666 7,172 99 8,572.18 118.33
Jerome 23,431 2,006 14 8,561.31 59.75
Illinois
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Clinton 37,628 3,617 65 9,612.52 172.74
Fayette 21,724 2,019 39 9,293.87 179.52
Effingham 34,174 3,138 31 9,182.42 90.71
Cass 12,665 1,114 24 8,795.89 189.50
Kankakee 111,061 9,364 123 8,431.40 110.75
Indiana
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Elkhart 203,604 19,486 252 9,570.54 123.77
Cass 38,084 3,382 32 8,880.37 84.02
Marshall 46,595 3,636 52 7,803.41 111.60
Fayette 23,259 1,728 40 7,429.38 171.98
St. Joseph 269,240 19,979 258 7,420.52 95.83
Iowa
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Buena Vista 20,260 3,214 14 15,863.77 69.10
Plymouth 25,039 2,970 45 11,861.50 179.72
Jones 20,568 2,399 19 11,663.75 92.38
Calhoun 9,780 1,104 7 11,288.34 71.57
Sioux 34,825 3,883 29 11,150.04 83.27
Kansas
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Norton 5,486 1,078 N/A 19,650.02 N/A
Ford 34,484 4,114 N/A 11,930.17 N/A
Sheridan 2,506 293 N/A 11,691.94 N/A
Ellsworth 6,293 732 N/A 11,631.97 N/A
Gove 2,619 253 N/A 9,660.18 N/A
Kentucky
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Lee 6,751 975 15 14,442.30 222.19
Elliott 7,517 677 1 9,006.25 13.30
Monroe 10,634 766 18 7,203.31 169.27
Warren 126,427 7,915 81 6,260.53 64.07
Marion 19,232 1,190 14 6,187.60 72.80
Louisiana
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
East Carroll 7,225 852 11 11,792.39 152.25
East Feliciana 19,499 2,222 85 11,395.46 435.92
Madison 11,472 1,127 15 9,823.92 130.75
Franklin 20,322 1,801 66 8,862.32 324.77
Allen 25,661 2,168 69 8,448.62 268.89
Maine
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Androscoggin 107,444 1,692 30 1,574.77 27.92
Cumberland 290,944 4,173 71 1,434.30 24.40
York 203,102 2,592 35 1,276.21 17.23
Somerset 50,710 492 20 970.22 39.44
Franklin 30,019 258 4 859.46 13.32
Maryland
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Allegany 71,977 4,071 87 5,655.97 120.87
Prince George’s 906,202 44,057 954 4,861.72 105.27
Somerset 25,737 1,171 9 4,549.87 34.97
Baltimore City 614,700 26,194 595 4,261.27 96.80
Baltimore 827,625 31,416 772 3,795.92 93.28
Massachusetts
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Essex 781,024 40,305 1,489 5,160.53 190.65
Suffolk 791,766 40,646 1,275 5,133.59 161.03
Bristol 558,905 22,719 890 4,064.91 159.24
Nantucket 11,101 441 0 3,972.62 0.00
Hampden 469,116 18,325 931 3,906.28 198.46
Michigan
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Dickinson 25,570 1,884 56 7,368.01 219.01
Delta 36,190 2,626 64 7,256.15 176.84
Iron 11,212 752 36 6,707.10 321.08
Menominee 23,234 1,410 19 6,068.69 81.78
Baraga 8,507 504 24 5,924.53 282.12
Minnesota
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Nobles 21,839 3,234 35 14,808.37 160.26
Kandiyohi 42,658 4,691 33 10,996.76 77.36
Stearns 156,819 15,064 132 9,605.98 84.17
Lyon 25,839 2,433 17 9,416.00 65.79
Rock 9,413 874 10 9,285.03 106.24
Mississippi
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Issaquena 1,328 129 4 9,713.86 301.20
Neshoba 29,376 2,373 124 8,078.02 422.11
Montgomery 10,198 823 26 8,070.21 254.95
Bolivar 32,592 2,629 86 8,066.40 263.87
Carroll 10,129 802 15 7,917.86 148.09
Missouri
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Sullivan 6,317 579 6 9,165.74 94.98
Cole 76,740 6,674 60 8,696.90 78.19
Perry 19,146 1,632 12 8,523.97 62.68
Moniteau 15,958 1,316 15 8,246.65 94.00
New Madrid 17,811 1,417 24 7,955.76 134.75
Montana
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Big Horn 13,376 1,868 50 13,965.31 373.80
Toole 4,976 630 8 12,660.77 160.77
Roosevelt 11,228 1,271 42 11,319.91 374.06
Powell 6,861 725 3 10,566.97 43.73
Rosebud 9,250 906 25 9,794.59 270.27
Nebraska
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Dakota 20,317 3,242 51 15,957.08 251.02
Colfax 10,760 1,356 13 12,602.23 120.82
Saline 14,288 1,572 3 11,002.24 21.00
Platte 33,063 3,254 30 9,841.82 90.74
Madison 35,164 3,339 28 9,495.51 79.63
Nevada
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Washoe 450,486 27,533 314 6,111.84 69.70
Elko 52,252 3,193 22 6,110.77 42.10
Clark 2,141,574 127,819 1,852 5,968.46 86.48
Carson 54,467 2,786 27 5,115.02 49.57
Lincoln 5,174 243 1 4,696.56 19.33
New Hampshire
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Hillsborough 411,087 9,988 341 2,429.66 82.95
Rockingham 305,129 5,535 114 1,813.99 37.36
Merrimack 149,452 2,149 35 1,437.92 23.42
Belknap 60,640 839 17 1,383.58 28.03
Strafford 128,237 1,726 15 1,345.95 11.70
New Jersey
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Passaic 504,041 32,776 1,338 6,502.65 265.45
Union 553,066 30,205 1,450 5,461.37 262.17
Hudson 668,631 34,393 1,607 5,143.79 240.34
Essex 793,555 38,252 2,259 4,820.33 284.67
Camden 507,367 21,578 698 4,252.94 137.57
New Mexico
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
McKinley 72,849 7,630 294 10,473.72 403.57
Luna 24,264 2,061 31 8,494.07 127.76
Chaves 65,459 5,362 50 8,191.39 76.38
Lea 70,126 4,833 53 6,891.88 75.58
Curry 50,199 3,419 28 6,810.89 55.78
New York
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Rockland 323,686 22,800 531 7,043.86 164.05
Westchester 968,815 54,671 1,529 5,643.08 157.82
Richmond 474,101 25,470 803 5,372.27 169.37
Orange 378,227 18,219 446 4,816.95 117.92
Nassau 1,356,564 65,098 2,269 4,798.74 167.26
North Carolina
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Sampson 63,561 3,915 49 6,159.44 77.09
Greene 21,008 1,270 28 6,045.32 133.28
Avery 17,501 1,052 9 6,011.09 51.43
Duplin 59,062 3,523 63 5,964.92 106.67
Scotland 35,262 2,079 43 5,895.87 121.94
North Dakota
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Eddy 2,313 377 5 16,299.18 216.17
Foster 3,290 508 17 15,440.73 516.72
Walsh 10,802 1,504 16 13,923.35 148.12
Morton 30,544 4,210 70 13,783.39 229.18
Burleigh 93,737 12,525 129 13,361.85 137.62
Ohio
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Marion 65,344 5,360 69 8,202.74 105.60
Mercer 40,806 3,274 64 8,023.33 156.84
Pickaway 57,420 4,549 50 7,922.33 87.08
Putnam 33,969 2,558 57 7,530.40 167.80
Auglaize 45,784 2,738 42 5,980.26 91.74
Oklahoma
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Texas 21,121 2,545 13 12,049.62 61.55
Woodward 20,967 2,043 8 9,743.88 38.16
Okfuskee 12,115 1,093 14 9,021.87 115.56
Jackson 25,384 2,034 35 8,012.92 137.88
Custer 29,209 2,264 18 7,751.04 61.62
Oregon
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Malheur 30,431 2,547 45 8,369.75 147.88
Morrow 11,215 705 7 6,286.22 62.42
Umatilla 76,898 4,659 50 6,058.68 65.02
Jefferson 23,143 942 11 4,070.35 47.53
Union 26,028 847 8 3,254.19 30.74
Pennsylvania
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Montour 18,294 1,055 16 5,766.92 87.46
Mifflin 46,362 2,302 53 4,965.27 114.32
Lebanon 138,674 6,106 120 4,403.13 86.53
Philadelphia 1,575,522 68,600 2,109 4,354.11 133.86
Huntingdon 45,421 1,947 62 4,286.56 136.50
Rhode Island
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Providence 634,533 40,206 N/A 6,336.31 N/A
Kent 163,861 6,109 N/A 3,728.16 N/A
Bristol 48,900 1,369 N/A 2,799.59 N/A
Washington 126,242 2,641 N/A 2,092.01 N/A
Newport 83,075 1,380 N/A 1,661.15 N/A
South Carolina
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Pickens 122,746 7,216 96 5,878.81 78.21
Newberry 38,068 2,236 68 5,873.70 178.63
Marlboro 27,131 1,535 20 5,657.73 73.72
Williamsburg 31,794 1,724 52 5,422.41 163.55
Bamberg 14,600 779 38 5,335.62 260.27
South Dakota
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Bon Homme 6,969 1,401 20 20,103.31 286.99
Buffalo 2,053 391 10 19,045.30 487.09
Dewey 5,779 1,096 6 18,965.22 103.82
Aurora 2,759 378 7 13,700.62 253.72
Beadle 18,374 2,376 32 12,931.32 174.16
Tennessee
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Trousdale 9,573 1,936 12 20,223.55 125.35
Lake 7,526 1,220 7 16,210.47 93.01
Wayne 16,649 2,002 12 12,024.75 72.08
Haywood 17,779 1,717 30 9,657.46 168.74
Obion 30,520 2,854 56 9,351.25 183.49
Texas
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Childress 7,226 943 2 13,050.10 27.68
Hale 34,113 4,416 102 12,945.21 299.01
Lubbock 301,454 34,445 402 11,426.29 133.35
Potter 120,899 13,512 185 11,176.27 153.02
El Paso 837,654 89,762 1,233 10,715.88 147.20
Utah
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Utah 590,440 53,360 154 9,037.33 26.08
Wasatch 30,523 2,498 13 8,183.99 42.59
Salt Lake 1,120,805 87,328 427 7,791.54 38.10
San Juan 15,281 1,153 31 7,545.32 202.87
Summit 40,511 2,444 5 6,032.93 12.34
Vermont
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Washington 58,477 781 2 1,335.57 3.42
Chittenden 162,052 1,756 44 1,083.60 27.15
Essex 6,208 63 0 1,014.82 0.00
Orange 28,937 250 0 863.95 0.00
Lamoille 25,268 178 1 704.45 3.96
Virginia
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Galax 6,638 610 30 9,189.51 451.94
Greensville 11,659 946 16 8,113.90 137.23
Radford 17,630 1,233 6 6,993.76 34.03
Franklin 8,211 563 17 6,856.66 207.04
Harrisonburg 53,391 3,613 38 6,767.06 71.17
Washington
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Franklin 90,660 6,813 75 7,514.89 82.73
Adams 19,452 1,391 12 7,150.94 61.69
Yakima 249,325 14,215 313 5,701.39 125.54
Whitman 48,593 2,449 24 5,039.82 49.39
Grant 94,860 4,339 40 4,574.11 42.17
West Virginia
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Mineral 27,278 1,568 29 5,748.22 106.31
Marshall 31,645 1,508 32 4,765.37 101.12
Ohio 42,547 1,791 20 4,209.46 47.01
Mingo 24,741 1,040 17 4,203.55 68.71
Grant 11,641 485 9 4,166.31 77.31
Wisconsin
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Menominee 4,579 591 8 12,906.75 174.71
Dodge 87,776 9,017 83 10,272.74 94.56
Jackson 20,506 1,953 5 9,524.04 24.38
Shawano 41,009 3,741 49 9,122.39 119.49
Brown 259,786 23,504 148 9,047.45 56.97
Wyoming
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Fremont 40,076 3,549 38 8,855.67 94.82
Albany 38,102 3,219 9 8,448.38 23.62
Teton 23,059 1,785 2 7,741.01 8.67
Sheridan 30,012 2,161 11 7,200.45 36.65
Campbell 47,708 3,262 17 6,837.43 35.63

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