The U.S. has reported more than 33.4 million confirmed COVID-19 cases as of Jul 15, 2021. More than 600,000 Americans have died of COVID-19 — the highest death toll of any country.

The virus has spread throughout the country in a way that has been difficult to predict, surging in one region, then showing signs of improvement, and then reappearing in other regions. Though local outbreaks may ebb and flow, the current surge in cases has been felt nearly nationwide, leading to new travel restrictions and business closures around the country.

Nationwide, there were an average of 4.2 daily new coronavirus cases per 100,000 Americans in the week ending Jul 15, 2021. Cumulatively, the U.S. has reported 10,224.7 cases per 100,000 Americans, and 183.8 deaths per 100,000 Americans.

The extent of the spread of the novel coronavirus continues to vary considerably from state to state, and even from county to county. Even as the number of daily new cases is flattening or even declining in some parts of the country, new cases are surging at a growing rate in others.

The coronavirus has spread to different parts of the country in different stages throughout the pandemic. In the spring, the worst hit states were in the Northeast, as New York City became the epicenter of the nation’s crisis. The virus spread to states throughout the Sun Belt in the summer, and hit states in the Midwest and West during the fall. By November 2020, nearly every state was categorized as a COVID-19 hot spot, according to definitions based on new cases per capita from the nonprofit health organization Kaiser Family Foundation.

In New Jersey, there were an average of 1.8 daily new coronavirus cases per 100,000 residents in the week ending Jul 15, 2021. The New Jersey case growth rate ranks as the 17th lowest of all 50 states.

While the nation’s largest counties were hit hardest in the early months of the pandemic, nearly every county has suffered from the coronavirus. Outbreaks can occur quickly in places where large numbers of people tend to congregate, leaving counties with colleges, correctional facilities, and nursing homes particularly at risk.

In Monmouth County, there were an average of 4.7 new confirmed cases per day per 100,000 residents in the week ending Jul 15, 2021 — the highest rate of any county in New Jersey. Since the pandemic began, the county has reported 76,350 confirmed cases, or 12,247.6 cases per 100,000.

There have been 1,638 deaths, or 262.8 deaths per 100,000 residents.

To determine the county in each state with the highest rate of daily cases of the virus, 24/7 Wall St. compiled and reviewed data from state and local health departments. We ranked counties according to the average new number of cases per 100,000 residents per day during the week ending Jul 15, 2021. Population data used to adjust case and death totals came from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2018 American Community Survey and are five-year estimates.

These are all the counties in New Jersey where COVID-19 is slowing (and where it’s still getting worse).

No.	County	Population	New daily cases per 100,000	Total cases	Total deaths	Cases per 100,000	Deaths per 100,000
1	Monmouth County	623,387	4.7	76,350	1,638	12,247.6	262.8
2	Ocean County	591,939	3.6	76,652	2,175	12,949.3	367.4
3	Union County	553,066	2.3	71,874	1,981	12,995.6	358.2
4	Cape May County	93,705	2.3	9,310	208	9,935.4	222.0
5	Hunterdon County	125,051	1.9	9,915	176	7,928.8	140.7
6	Burlington County	446,367	1.9	44,473	876	9,963.3	196.3
7	Sussex County	142,298	1.9	14,140	307	9,936.9	215.7
8	Passaic County	504,041	1.9	73,488	1,939	14,579.8	384.7
9	Cumberland County	153,400	1.8	17,261	442	11,252.3	288.1
10	Atlantic County	268,539	1.8	31,697	695	11,803.5	258.8
11	Somerset County	330,176	1.7	30,291	846	9,174.2	256.2
12	Bergen County	929,999	1.6	105,129	2,892	11,304.2	311.0
13	Warren County	106,293	1.6	10,052	238	9,456.9	223.9
14	Camden County	507,367	1.6	56,017	1,341	11,040.7	264.3
15	Hudson County	668,631	1.4	88,471	2,305	13,231.7	344.7
16	Morris County	494,383	1.1	50,439	1,241	10,202.4	251.0
17	Gloucester County	290,852	1.0	30,752	646	10,573.1	222.1
18	Salem County	63,336	0.8	6,123	188	9,667.5	296.8
19	Mercer County	368,762	0.6	34,222	961	9,280.2	260.6
20	Middlesex County	826,698	0.5	92,734	2,370	11,217.4	286.7
21	Essex County	793,555	0.4	94,532	3,025	11,912.5	381.2

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