After an alarming surge that began in June and continued through most of July, it appears that the COVID-19 pandemic may be leveling off in the range of 55,000 to 75,000 daily new U.S. cases. This is still well above the fewer than 20,000 per day reported nationwide in early June. But the surge is not over yet, as COVID-19 continues to spread at a growing rate in every state. 

Using data from state and local health departments, 24/7 Wall St. compiled and reviewed the average of new daily confirmed COVID-19 cases for the week ending July 26 and compared it to the average of new daily cases from the previous week to determine the states where the virus is growing the fastest. Data is as of July 26 for all states except Oregon and Texas, for which data is as of July 24.

The average number of new daily cases per capita in the United States has increased from 19.4 per 100,000 during the week ending July 19 to 26.6 in the week ending July 26, an increase of 7.2 daily new cases per 100,000 people. In 10 states, the average number of daily new cases climbed by at least 10 new daily cases per 100,000. In one state, the average number of daily new cases rose by 25.5 per 100,000, to 54.2 compared to 28.7 a week prior. 

While the average number of new daily cases is climbing in every state, it is increasing the least primarily in the Northeast, including in many of the states that were initially hit the hardest, such as Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey. For months, those states ranked as having among the most total cases per capita, even after sustained declines, but those are finally being pushed down the list by states in the South and the West. Click here to see the states with the most COVID-19 cases per capita.

In southern and western states, which include Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Louisiana, cases have been skyrocketing for weeks. As the situation has worsened, a number of those states have postponed plans to move to the next phase of reopening their economies. These are every state’s rules for staying open and social distancing.

Click here for the states where the virus is growing the fastest.