It has now been 49 weeks since the first shipments of the COVID-19 vaccine were sent out to states, kicking off the largest vaccination campaign in human history. As of November 23, the U.S. has sent 569,050,695 doses of the vaccine across the country — equivalent to 173.4% of the U.S. population.
While the initial distribution of the vaccine took longer than federal projections had indicated, in recent months the U.S. has made great leaps in the worldwide race to administer vaccinations — and some states are faring far better than others. Under the current system, led by the White House COVID-19 Response Team, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sends states limited shipments of the vaccine as well as funding and tasks them with distributing the vaccine in accordance with relatively loose federal guidelines. The distribution of the vaccine is based on the size of the adult population in every state, which — according to some experts — can create inequities in states where the spread of COVID-19 is worse and a larger share of the population is at risk.
Utah has received a total of 4,934,870 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine as of November 23. Adjusted for population, Utah has received 153,928.1 vaccines per 100,000 residents — less than the national average of 173,364.5 vaccines per 100,000 Americans and the 11th fewest of any state.
While Utah has so far received fewer vaccines per capita than the nation as a whole, the state has a greater need for vaccines than the rest of the country. As of November 23, there were 18,182.7 confirmed cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 residents in Utah — greater than the national rate of 14,451.3 cases per 100,000 Americans and the sixth highest of all 50 states.
While the federal government distributes vaccines to states, it is up to state governments to administer the vaccine — creating variations in both the percentage of vaccines that have been administered and the percentage of the population that has been vaccinated. In Utah, 81.0% of allocated vaccines have been administered to residents, in line with the national average of 79.6% and the 16th largest share of all states.
The administered vaccines amount to 124.6% of the state population, lower than the 137.9% national figure and the 19th smallest share of all states.
While a majority of Americans remain unvaccinated due to a lack of supply, there are some who have no plans to receive a vaccine at all. According to a survey from the U.S. Census Bureau, 59.2% of U.S. adults 18 and over who have not yet received the vaccine will either probably not or definitely not get a COVID-19 vaccine in the future. In Utah, 53.7% of adults who have not yet received the vaccine report that they will probably not or definitely not get a vaccine in the future, the fifth smallest share of any state. The most common reason cited for not wanting a vaccine was being concerned about possible side effects. Other commonly cited reasons include that they were planning to wait and see if it is safe, not trusting COVID-19 vaccines, and not trusting the government.
To determine the states getting the most and least vaccines from the federal government, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. States were ranked based on the number of vaccines administered as of November 23 per 100,000 residents. Vaccine counts were adjusted for population using one-year data from the Census Bureau’s 2019 American Community Survey. Data on confirmed COVID-19 cases as of November 23 came from various state and local health departments and were adjusted for population using 2019 ACS data. Data on the percentage of adults who probably will not or definitely will not get a COVID-19 vaccine and their reasons for not getting one came from the Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey, conducted from August 18, 2021 to August 30, 2021.
These are all the counties in Utah where COVID-19 is slowing (and where it’s still getting worse).
| Rank | State | Population | Vaccines distributed per 100,000 | Vaccines administered as % of pop. | COVID-19 cases per 100,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vermont | 623,989 | 206,909 | 175.9% | 6,895 |
| 2 | Maryland | 6,045,680 | 199,248 | 153.6% | 9,561 |
| 3 | Hawaii | 1,415,872 | 197,024 | 145.9% | 5,932 |
| 4 | Maine | 1,344,212 | 195,390 | 162.9% | 8,619 |
| 5 | Massachusetts | 6,892,503 | 192,690 | 165.1% | 12,923 |
| 6 | New Hampshire | 1,359,711 | 192,650 | 153.3% | 11,092 |
| 7 | Rhode Island | 1,059,361 | 190,224 | 161.3% | 17,594 |
| 8 | Connecticut | 3,565,287 | 190,205 | 164.9% | 11,582 |
| 9 | Delaware | 973,764 | 189,972 | 142.4% | 15,444 |
| 10 | New Jersey | 8,882,190 | 189,757 | 149.2% | 13,870 |
| 11 | West Virginia | 1,792,147 | 188,295 | 94.3% | 16,124 |
| 12 | Oregon | 4,217,737 | 187,811 | 144.2% | 9,106 |
| 13 | Pennsylvania | 12,801,989 | 183,625 | 140.4% | 13,171 |
| 14 | New York | 19,453,561 | 181,934 | 151.1% | 13,748 |
| 15 | Washington | 7,614,893 | 181,763 | 147.0% | 10,008 |
| 16 | Virginia | 8,535,519 | 181,642 | 150.6% | 11,190 |
| 17 | Florida | 21,477,737 | 178,475 | 141.6% | 17,140 |
| 18 | California | 39,512,223 | 177,206 | 148.2% | 12,691 |
| 19 | Colorado | 5,758,736 | 173,470 | 146.5% | 13,974 |
| 20 | Alaska | 731,545 | 173,047 | 129.0% | 19,509 |
| 21 | Minnesota | 5,639,632 | 172,084 | 143.1% | 15,448 |
| 22 | New Mexico | 2,096,829 | 171,217 | 146.9% | 14,400 |
| 23 | Illinois | 12,671,821 | 168,294 | 136.9% | 13,920 |
| 24 | North Carolina | 10,488,084 | 167,990 | 126.6% | 14,444 |
| 25 | Texas | 28,995,881 | 167,962 | 126.7% | 14,797 |
| 26 | South Dakota | 884,659 | 167,506 | 126.7% | 18,355 |
| 27 | Iowa | 3,155,070 | 164,893 | 130.5% | 16,280 |
| 28 | Michigan | 9,986,857 | 163,652 | 125.2% | 14,103 |
| 29 | Kansas | 2,913,314 | 162,701 | 124.6% | 15,645 |
| 30 | Georgia | 10,617,423 | 162,362 | 114.6% | 15,584 |
| 31 | South Carolina | 5,148,714 | 161,522 | 118.6% | 17,706 |
| 32 | Nebraska | 1,934,408 | 161,064 | 131.8% | 15,641 |
| 33 | Arkansas | 3,017,804 | 160,723 | 115.1% | 17,369 |
| 34 | Arizona | 7,278,717 | 160,498 | 129.6% | 17,062 |
| 35 | Alabama | 4,903,185 | 159,651 | 105.4% | 17,196 |
| 36 | Wisconsin | 5,822,434 | 158,248 | 138.3% | 16,243 |
| 37 | Kentucky | 4,467,673 | 157,127 | 119.3% | 17,229 |
| 38 | Ohio | 11,689,100 | 155,094 | 121.0% | 14,055 |
| 39 | Nevada | 3,080,156 | 154,041 | 126.6% | 15,085 |
| 40 | Utah | 3,205,958 | 153,928 | 124.6% | 18,183 |
| 41 | Idaho | 1,787,065 | 152,900 | 103.7% | 16,972 |
| 42 | Montana | 1,068,778 | 152,097 | 122.1% | 17,591 |
| 43 | Oklahoma | 3,956,971 | 151,496 | 121.4% | 16,669 |
| 44 | Missouri | 6,137,428 | 151,056 | 119.0% | 14,569 |
| 45 | Tennessee | 6,829,174 | 149,726 | 117.9% | 19,092 |
| 46 | Mississippi | 2,976,149 | 149,708 | 106.5% | 17,161 |
| 47 | Indiana | 6,732,219 | 149,371 | 114.3% | 15,886 |
| 48 | North Dakota | 762,062 | 147,323 | 115.9% | 20,797 |
| 49 | Louisiana | 4,648,794 | 144,279 | 110.7% | 16,506 |
| 50 | Wyoming | 578,759 | 139,943 | 107.8% | 18,888 |
Take This Retirement Quiz To Get Matched With A Financial Advisor (Sponsored)
Take the quiz below to get matched with a financial advisor today.
Each advisor has been vetted by SmartAsset and is held to a fiduciary standard to act in your best interests.
Here’s how it works:
1. Answer SmartAsset advisor match quiz
2. Review your pre-screened matches at your leisure. Check out the
advisors’ profiles.
3. Speak with advisors at no cost to you. Have an introductory call on the phone or introduction in person and choose whom to work with in the future
Take the retirement quiz right here.
Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.
Editors' Picks
