Health and Healthcare

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

Mario Tama / Getty Images News via Getty Images
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 200,000 a day, on the way to what experts think will be 300,000. Fatal cases per day have risen to over 3,000, and experts fear that could surge over the course of January. Currently, total confirmed cases in the United States stand at 17,287,875 and fatalities at 313,797.

Some parts of the country are much worse off than others. The states in the upper Midwest now are taking the brunt of the disease. This includes Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, North and South Dakota and Wyoming. 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 at 35,647.

The effects of the disease on any area are measured in several ways. Among the most widely followed are confirmed 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 confirmed 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 2,923 34 9,267.01 1,163.19
Clarke 24,387 2,110 24 8,652.15 1,137.44
Jackson 52,094 4,505 28 8,647.83 621.53
Lowndes 10,236 876 31 8,558.03 3,538.81
DeKalb 71,200 6,068 50 8,522.47 823.99
Alaska
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Bethel 18,040 1,613 8 8,941.24 495.97
Anchorage 296,112 16,511 103 5,575.93 623.83
Kusilvak 8,198 429 3 5,232.98 699.30
Northwest Arctic 7,734 348 0 4,499.61 0.00
North Slope 9,797 431 2 4,399.31 464.04
Arizona
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Yuma 207,829 23,447 435 11,281.87 1,855.25
Santa Cruz 46,584 5,097 85 10,941.52 1,667.65
Apache 71,522 6,622 212 9,258.69 3,201.45
Navajo 108,705 9,980 292 9,180.81 2,925.85
Graham 37,879 2,673 41 7,056.68 1,533.86
Arkansas
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Lincoln 13,695 2,696 20 19,686.02 741.84
Jackson 17,225 2,477 14 14,380.26 565.20
Lee 9,398 1,340 20 14,258.35 1,492.54
Sevier 17,193 1,910 20 11,109.17 1,047.12
Chicot 10,826 1,327 29 12,257.53 2,185.38
California
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Imperial 180,216 19,756 380 10,962.40 1,923.47
Lassen 31,185 3,378 6 10,832.13 177.62
Kings 150,075 13,652 100 9,096.78 732.49
San Bernardino 2,135,413 137,548 1,241 6,441.28 902.23
Kern 883,053 52,002 470 5,888.89 903.81
Colorado
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Crowley 5,630 1,457 10 25,879.22 686.34
Logan 21,689 2,787 49 12,849.83 1,758.16
Lincoln 5,548 694 1 12,509.01 144.09
Bent 5,809 691 4 11,895.33 578.87
Fremont 47,002 3,755 12 7,989.02 319.57
Connecticut
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Fairfield 944,348 49,422 1,612 5,233.45 3,261.71
New Haven 859,339 40,539 1,409 4,717.46 3,475.67
Hartford 894,730 39,151 1,716 4,375.73 4,383.03
Litchfield 183,031 6,270 197 3,425.65 3,141.95
Windham 116,538 3,921 48 3,364.57 1,224.18
Delaware
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Sussex 219,540 12,780 276 5,821.26 2,159.62
New Castle 555,133 27,602 411 4,972.14 1,489.02
Kent 174,822 7,442 146 4,256.90 1,961.84
Florida
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Lafayette 8,744 1,391 20 15,908.05 1,437.81
Miami-Dade 2,715,516 264,673 4,017 9,746.69 1,517.72
Union 15,239 1,333 65 8,747.29 4,876.22
Jackson 48,472 4,197 107 8,658.61 2,549.44
Suwannee 43,924 3,569 94 8,125.40 2,633.79
Georgia
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Chattahoochee 10,767 2,113 3 19,624.78 141.98
Stewart 6,042 590 17 9,764.98 2,881.36
Whitfield 103,849 9,262 105 8,918.72 1,133.66
Hall 195,961 14,848 211 7,577.02 1,421.07
Clinch 6,743 506 14 7,504.08 2,766.80
Hawaii
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Honolulu 987,638 16,543 215 1,675.01 1,299.64
Hawaii 197,658 1,748 43 884.36 2,459.95
Maui 165,281 856 17 517.91 1,985.98
Kauai 71,377 134 1 187.74 746.27
Idaho
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Madison 38,705 4,978 10 12,861.39 200.88
Cassia 23,615 2,404 20 10,179.97 831.95
Minidoka 20,615 1,913 21 9,279.65 1,097.75
Jerome 23,431 2,117 15 9,035.04 708.55
Twin Falls 83,666 7,524 109 8,992.90 1,448.70
Illinois
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Fayette 21,724 2,432 42 11,194.99 1,726.97
Cass 12,665 1,368 26 10,801.42 1,900.58
Clinton 37,628 4,040 74 10,736.69 1,831.68
Effingham 34,174 3,502 46 10,247.56 1,313.54
Lawrence 16,189 1,488 22 9,191.43 1,478.49
Indiana
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Elkhart 203,604 21,145 282 10,385.36 1,333.65
Cass 38,084 3,718 36 9,762.63 968.26
Marshall 46,595 4,086 62 8,769.18 1,517.38
Dubois 42,418 3,633 35 8,564.76 963.39
Clinton 32,301 2,703 29 8,368.16 1,072.88
Iowa
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Buena Vista 20,260 3,433 21 16,944.72 611.71
Plymouth 25,039 3,150 42 12,580.37 1,333.33
Jones 20,568 2,492 34 12,115.91 1,364.37
Sioux 34,825 4,116 39 11,819.10 947.52
Henry 19,926 2,343 20 11,758.51 853.61
Kansas
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Norton 5,486 1,106 N/A 20,160.41 N/A
Ellsworth 6,293 891 N/A 14,158.59 N/A
Sheridan 2,506 311 N/A 12,410.22 N/A
Ford 34,484 4,270 N/A 12,382.55 N/A
Seward 22,692 2,485 N/A 10,951.00 N/A
Kentucky
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Lee 6,751 1,002 17 14,842.25 1,696.61
Elliott 7,517 739 1 9,831.05 135.32
Monroe 10,634 852 18 8,012.04 2,112.68
Marion 19,232 1,371 16 7,128.74 1,167.03
Warren 126,427 8,825 83 6,980.31 940.51
Louisiana
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
East Carroll 7,225 903 14 12,498.27 1,550.39
East Feliciana 19,499 2,316 90 11,877.53 3,886.01
Madison 11,472 1,188 16 10,355.65 1,346.80
Franklin 20,322 1,877 72 9,236.30 3,835.91
Allen 25,661 2,275 71 8,865.59 3,120.88
Maine
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Androscoggin 107,444 2,057 39 1,914.49 1,895.96
Cumberland 290,944 5,281 81 1,815.13 1,533.80
York 203,102 3,536 45 1,741.00 1,272.62
Oxford 57,325 719 7 1,254.25 973.57
Franklin 30,019 356 4 1,185.92 1,123.60
Maryland
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Allegany 71,977 4,848 126 6,735.48 2,599.01
Somerset 25,737 1,504 14 5,843.73 930.85
Prince George’s 906,202 48,718 1,007 5,376.06 2,067.00
Baltimore City 614,700 28,586 635 4,650.40 2,221.37
Baltimore 827,625 34,702 841 4,192.96 2,423.49
Massachusetts
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Essex 781,024 47,846 1,560 6,126.06 3,260.46
Suffolk 791,766 46,365 1,309 5,855.90 2,823.25
Nantucket 11,101 622 0 5,603.10 0.00
Bristol 558,905 27,551 977 4,929.46 3,546.15
Hampden 469,116 21,402 979 4,562.20 4,574.34
Michigan
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Dickinson 25,570 2,045 63 7,997.65 3,080.68
Delta 36,190 2,799 67 7,734.18 2,393.71
Iron 11,212 780 37 6,956.83 4,743.59
Menominee 23,234 1,521 23 6,546.44 1,512.16
Baraga 8,507 546 28 6,418.24 5,128.21
Minnesota
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Nobles 21,839 3,417 42 15,646.32 1,229.15
Kandiyohi 42,658 5,085 48 11,920.39 943.95
Rock 9,413 978 10 10,389.89 1,022.49
Stearns 156,819 16,133 151 10,287.66 935.97
Lyon 25,839 2,630 24 10,178.41 912.55
Mississippi
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Issaquena 1,328 136 4 10,240.96 2,941.18
Neshoba 29,376 2,635 133 8,969.91 5,047.44
Bolivar 32,592 2,908 90 8,922.43 3,094.91
Montgomery 10,198 902 30 8,844.87 3,325.94
Winston 18,358 1,567 42 8,535.79 2,680.28
Missouri
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Sullivan 6,317 607 9 9,608.99 1,482.70
Cole 76,740 7,042 77 9,176.44 1,093.44
Perry 19,146 1,729 15 9,030.61 867.55
St. Francois 66,342 5,859 58 8,831.51 989.93
Moniteau 15,958 1,384 16 8,672.77 1,156.07
Montana
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Big Horn 13,376 1,973 57 14,750.30 2,889.00
Toole 4,976 660 8 13,263.67 1,212.12
Roosevelt 11,228 1,335 42 11,889.92 3,146.07
Powell 6,861 771 5 11,237.43 648.51
Rosebud 9,250 985 26 10,648.65 2,639.59
Nebraska
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Dakota 20,317 3,360 51 16,537.87 1,517.86
Colfax 10,760 1,384 17 12,862.45 1,228.32
Saline 14,288 1,658 3 11,604.14 180.94
Platte 33,063 3,390 37 10,253.15 1,091.45
Madison 35,164 3,548 35 10,089.86 986.47
Nevada
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Carson 54,467 4,028 39 7,395.30 968.22
Washoe 450,486 31,321 378 6,952.71 1,206.86
Clark 2,141,574 146,723 2,080 6,851.18 1,417.64
Elko 52,252 3,490 31 6,679.17 888.25
Lander 5,746 337 6 5,864.95 1,780.42
New Hampshire
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Hillsborough 411,087 13,356 361 3,248.95 2,702.91
Rockingham 305,129 7,906 120 2,591.04 1,517.83
Merrimack 149,452 3,314 40 2,217.43 1,207.00
Belknap 60,640 1,296 37 2,137.20 2,854.94
Strafford 128,237 2,277 19 1,775.62 834.43
New Jersey
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Passaic 504,041 36,414 1,380 7,224.41 3,789.75
Union 553,066 33,375 1,494 6,034.54 4,476.40
Hudson 668,631 38,429 1,649 5,747.42 4,291.03
Essex 793,555 42,329 2,316 5,334.10 5,471.43
Camden 507,367 24,539 746 4,836.54 3,040.06
New Mexico
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
McKinley 72,849 8,650 318 11,873.88 3,676.30
Chaves 65,459 6,019 73 9,195.07 1,212.83
Luna 24,264 2,185 36 9,005.11 1,647.60
Lea 70,126 5,791 70 8,257.99 1,208.77
Curry 50,199 3,680 37 7,330.82 1,005.43
New York
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Rockland 323,686 24,555 555 7,586.06 2,260.23
Westchester 968,815 60,540 1,581 6,248.87 2,611.50
Richmond 474,101 29,167 835 6,152.06 2,862.82
Nassau 1,356,564 72,904 2,306 5,374.17 3,163.06
Orange 378,227 20,114 470 5,317.97 2,336.68
North Carolina
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Avery 17,501 1,201 13 6,862.47 1,082.43
Sampson 63,561 4,287 56 6,744.70 1,306.27
Greene 21,008 1,368 28 6,511.81 2,046.78
Scotland 35,262 2,281 50 6,468.72 2,192.02
Duplin 59,062 3,793 63 6,422.06 1,660.95
North Dakota
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Eddy 2,313 388 6 16,774.75 1,546.39
Foster 3,290 525 19 15,957.45 3,619.05
Morton 30,544 4,473 82 14,644.45 1,833.22
Walsh 10,802 1,545 20 14,302.91 1,294.50
Burleigh 93,737 13,237 157 14,121.42 1,186.07
Ohio
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Marion 65,344 6,080 86 9,304.60 1,414.47
Pickaway 57,420 5,187 50 9,033.44 963.95
Mercer 40,806 3,613 73 8,854.09 2,020.48
Putnam 33,969 2,937 61 8,646.12 2,076.95
Darke 51,734 3,592 73 6,943.21 2,032.29
Oklahoma
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Alfalfa 5,857 805 2 13,744.24 248.45
Texas 21,121 2,750 15 13,020.22 545.45
Woodward 20,967 2,203 8 10,506.99 363.14
Okfuskee 12,115 1,216 15 10,037.14 1,233.55
Custer 29,209 2,551 21 8,733.61 823.21
Oregon
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Malheur 30,431 2,619 45 8,606.36 1,718.21
Morrow 11,215 747 7 6,660.72 937.08
Umatilla 76,898 4,881 52 6,347.37 1,065.36
Jefferson 23,143 1,147 12 4,956.14 1,046.21
Union 26,028 903 10 3,469.34 1,107.42
Pennsylvania
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Mifflin 46,362 2,872 86 6,194.73 2,994.43
Cambria 134,550 7,437 170 5,527.31 2,285.87
Blair 123,842 6,551 122 5,289.80 1,862.31
Lebanon 138,674 7,252 137 5,229.53 1,889.13
Bedford 48,611 2,509 72 5,161.38 2,869.67
Rhode Island
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Providence 634,533 51,871 N/A 8,174.67 N/A
Kent 163,861 8,436 N/A 5,148.27 N/A
Bristol 48,900 1,816 N/A 3,713.70 N/A
Washington 126,242 3,713 N/A 2,941.18 N/A
Newport 83,075 1,965 N/A 2,365.33 N/A
South Carolina
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Pickens 122,746 8,416 116 6,856.44 1,378.33
Newberry 38,068 2,473 69 6,496.27 2,790.13
Marlboro 27,131 1,700 22 6,265.90 1,294.12
Dillon 30,871 1,924 54 6,232.39 2,806.65
Greenville 498,402 30,156 450 6,050.54 1,492.24
South Dakota
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Bon Homme 6,969 1,427 21 20,476.40 1,471.62
Dewey 5,779 1,170 7 20,245.72 598.29
Buffalo 2,053 401 10 19,532.39 2,493.77
Aurora 2,759 391 7 14,171.80 1,790.28
Beadle 18,374 2,426 32 13,203.44 1,319.04
Tennessee
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Trousdale 9,573 2,041 12 21,320.38 587.95
Lake 7,526 1,321 11 17,552.48 832.70
Wayne 16,649 2,195 15 13,183.98 683.37
Haywood 17,779 1,951 31 10,973.62 1,588.93
Obion 30,520 3,227 65 10,573.39 2,014.25
Texas
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Childress 7,226 1,131 3 15,651.81 265.25
Hale 34,113 4,784 110 14,023.98 2,299.33
Crockett 3,633 478 8 13,157.17 1,673.64
Lubbock 301,454 37,528 474 12,449.00 1,263.06
Potter 120,899 14,415 210 11,923.18 1,456.82
Utah
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Utah 590,440 58,955 186 9,984.93 315.49
Wasatch 30,523 2,814 15 9,219.28 533.05
Salt Lake 1,120,805 95,917 487 8,557.87 507.73
San Juan 15,281 1,275 32 8,343.69 2,509.80
Summit 40,511 2,695 5 6,652.51 185.53
Vermont
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Washington 58,477 835 5 1,427.91 598.80
Chittenden 162,052 2,150 55 1,326.73 2,558.14
Essex 6,208 74 0 1,192.01 0.00
Orange 28,937 287 1 991.81 348.43
Orleans 26,911 247 3 917.84 1,214.57
Virginia
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Galax 6,638 690 31 10,394.70 4,492.75
Greensville 11,659 967 16 8,294.02 1,654.60
Radford 17,630 1,348 7 7,646.06 519.29
Franklin 8,211 612 17 7,453.42 2,777.78
Harrisonburg 53,391 3,905 40 7,313.97 1,024.33
Washington
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Franklin 90,660 7,789 77 8,591.44 988.57
Adams 19,452 1,489 15 7,654.74 1,007.39
Yakima 249,325 15,879 296 6,368.80 1,864.10
Whitman 48,593 2,570 25 5,288.83 972.76
Benton 194,168 10,052 150 5,176.96 1,492.24
West Virginia
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Mineral 27,278 1,900 52 6,965.32 2,736.84
Marshall 31,645 1,711 40 5,406.86 2,337.81
Grant 11,641 606 13 5,205.74 2,145.21
Ohio 42,547 2,067 29 4,858.16 1,403.00
Brooke 22,772 1,069 13 4,694.36 1,216.09
Wisconsin
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Menominee 4,579 666 9 14,544.66 1,351.35
Dodge 87,776 9,784 95 11,146.55 970.97
Jackson 20,506 2,096 6 10,221.40 286.26
Shawano 41,009 3,938 53 9,602.77 1,345.86
Brown 259,786 24,701 155 9,508.21 627.50
Wyoming
County Population Cases Deaths Cases per 100k Deaths per 100k
Fremont 40,076 3,776 52 9,422.10 1,377.12
Albany 38,102 3,353 9 8,800.06 268.42
Teton 23,059 1,958 2 8,491.26 102.15
Washakie 8,129 662 11 8,143.68 1,661.63
Sheridan 30,012 2,359 13 7,860.19 551.08

24/7 Wall St.
20 Teams With the Most Hall of Famers

Read more: Health and Healthcare, COVID-19

Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.

Editors' Picks

The Unhealthiest State In America

This Study Ranks The 20 Most Stressful Life Events

Don't Get Sick Here: States With the Most Deaths From Medical Care Complications

The State Where the Most People Go to Hospitals for COVID-19