Since the first death attributable to COVID-19 was reported in the United States on Feb. 29, 2020, an estimated 712,874 Americans have died — and as the delta variant spreads, that number continues to grow.

Adjusting for population, no state has reported more coronavirus deaths than Mississippi. Since the pandemic began, Mississippi has reported a total of 9,900 deaths — or 331 for every 100,000 people. Per capita deaths attributable to the virus are also high in New Jersey, Alabama, Louisiana, and Arizona. In each of these places, the death rate stands at at least 285 per 100,000 people.

For context, the national COVID-19 death rate stands at 218 deaths for every 100,000 people.

To date, Vermont has reported the fewest coronavirus deaths on a per capita basis. There have been an estimated 52 COVID-19 deaths across the state for every 100,000 people since the pandemic began.

Though it is not always the case, states with higher than average COVID-19 deaths per capita are often also home to larger high-risk populations. One such group is retirement-age Americans, who are at least 90 times more likely to die from the virus if infected than those in the 18 to 29 age group. Nationwide, 16.5% of the population fall into that age group.

All COVID-19 data used in the story is current as of Oct. 14, 2021.