The U.S. has reported more than 32.0 million confirmed COVID-19 cases as of May 4, 2021. More than 570,000 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 15.6 daily new coronavirus cases per 100,000 Americans in the week ending May 4, 2021. Cumulatively, the U.S. has reported 9,806.5 cases per 100,000 Americans, and 174.8 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 Wisconsin, there were an average of 12.4 daily new coronavirus cases per 100,000 residents in the week ending May 4, 2021. The Wisconsin case growth rate ranks as the 21st 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 Sawyer County, there were an average of 34.9 new confirmed cases per day per 100,000 residents in the week ending May 4, 2021 — the highest rate of any county in Wisconsin. Since the pandemic began, the county has reported 1,715 confirmed cases, or 10,476.5 cases per 100,000.

There have been 26 deaths, or 158.8 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 May 4, 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 Wisconsin 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	Sawyer County	16,370	34.9	1,715	26	10,476.5	158.8
2	St. Croix County	87,917	32.8	9,373	57	10,661.2	64.8
3	Pierce County	41,603	30.8	4,891	42	11,756.4	101.0
4	Polk County	43,349	27.6	4,503	53	10,387.8	122.3
5	Rock County	161,769	26.3	17,678	190	10,927.9	117.5
6	Pepin County	7,262	25.9	876	7	12,062.8	96.4
7	Juneau County	26,419	20.9	3,249	27	12,298.0	102.2
8	Burnett County	15,258	19.5	1,493	22	9,785.0	144.2
9	Racine County	195,398	18.2	24,536	369	12,556.9	188.8
10	Marinette County	40,537	16.2	4,560	69	11,249.0	170.2
11	Washburn County	15,689	15.5	1,525	20	9,720.2	127.5
12	Marathon County	135,264	14.2	16,074	220	11,883.4	162.6
13	Brown County	259,786	14.0	34,890	283	13,430.3	108.9
14	Milwaukee County	954,209	13.8	115,093	1,345	12,061.6	141.0
15	Kenosha County	168,330	13.7	18,212	322	10,819.2	191.3
16	Walworth County	103,013	13.4	12,187	159	11,830.5	154.3
17	Washington County	134,535	13.3	16,616	162	12,350.7	120.4
18	Oconto County	37,556	12.9	4,950	61	13,180.3	162.4
19	Ashland County	15,712	12.9	1,333	15	8,484.0	95.5
20	Sauk County	63,596	12.8	6,048	53	9,510.0	83.3
21	Dunn County	44,498	12.7	5,017	32	11,274.7	71.9
22	Dodge County	87,776	12.6	12,718	184	14,489.2	209.6
23	Wood County	73,274	12.5	7,485	94	10,215.1	128.3
24	Barron County	45,252	12.4	5,884	83	13,002.7	183.4
25	Price County	13,490	12.3	1,332	7	9,874.0	51.9
26	La Crosse County	117,850	11.7	13,496	82	11,451.8	69.6
27	Douglas County	43,402	11.5	4,741	51	10,923.5	117.5
28	Waukesha County	398,879	11.4	48,464	574	12,150.1	143.9
29	Jefferson County	84,652	11.1	9,499	132	11,221.2	155.9
30	Dane County	529,843	10.8	45,789	325	8,642.0	61.3
31	Winnebago County	169,926	10.7	21,102	216	12,418.3	127.1
32	Columbia County	56,954	10.6	5,760	69	10,113.4	121.2
33	Oneida County	35,345	10.6	3,781	75	10,697.4	212.2
34	Green County	36,864	10.5	3,607	24	9,784.6	65.1
35	Manitowoc County	79,407	10.3	8,735	88	11,000.3	110.8
36	Outagamie County	184,754	10.1	23,471	218	12,703.9	118.0
37	Trempealeau County	29,438	10.1	3,633	44	12,341.2	149.5
38	Adams County	20,073	9.4	1,897	17	9,450.5	84.7
39	Monroe County	45,502	9.3	4,619	38	10,151.2	83.5
40	Iowa County	23,620	9.1	2,098	11	8,882.3	46.6
41	Langlade County	19,164	8.5	2,157	46	11,255.5	240.0
42	Sheboygan County	115,205	8.4	14,585	150	12,660.0	130.2
43	Ozaukee County	88,284	8.1	9,124	91	10,334.8	103.1
44	Portage County	70,599	8.1	7,274	72	10,303.3	102.0
45	Waushara County	24,116	8.0	2,484	37	10,300.2	153.4
46	Bayfield County	14,992	8.0	1,251	19	8,344.5	126.7
47	Forest County	9,018	7.7	1,034	26	11,466.0	288.3
48	Grant County	51,828	7.6	5,659	90	10,918.8	173.7
49	Menominee County	4,579	7.6	807	11	17,623.9	240.2
50	Clark County	34,491	7.3	3,639	62	10,550.6	179.8
51	Marquette County	15,207	7.1	1,556	27	10,232.1	177.5
52	Vilas County	21,593	7.1	2,383	42	11,036.0	194.5
53	Calumet County	49,807	6.8	6,408	52	12,865.7	104.4
54	Iron County	5,715	6.8	692	40	12,108.5	699.9
55	Kewaunee County	20,360	6.7	2,674	35	13,133.6	171.9
56	Rusk County	14,183	6.6	1,346	18	9,490.2	126.9
57	Crawford County	16,288	6.4	1,767	17	10,848.5	104.4
58	Fond du Lac County	102,315	6.0	13,540	121	13,233.6	118.3
59	Eau Claire County	102,991	5.9	11,819	120	11,475.8	116.5
60	Buffalo County	13,167	5.7	1,385	7	10,518.7	53.2
61	Jackson County	20,506	5.7	2,682	28	13,079.1	136.5
62	Chippewa County	63,635	5.6	7,517	96	11,812.7	150.9
63	Lafayette County	16,735	5.5	1,704	9	10,182.3	53.8
64	Waupaca County	51,444	5.3	5,994	162	11,651.5	314.9
65	Door County	27,439	5.2	2,808	28	10,233.6	102.0
66	Richland County	17,539	5.1	1,372	15	7,822.6	85.5
67	Green Lake County	18,757	4.7	2,008	22	10,705.3	117.3
68	Vernon County	30,516	4.5	1,982	42	6,495.0	137.6
69	Taylor County	20,356	4.4	2,098	32	10,306.5	157.2
70	Florence County	4,337	3.8	499	12	11,505.6	276.7
71	Lincoln County	27,848	3.7	3,261	91	11,710.0	326.8
72	Shawano County	41,009	2.8	5,252	83	12,806.9	202.4

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