Special Report

This is the City in Wisconsin With the Most COVID-19 Cases

John Moore / Getty Images News via Getty Images

The U.S. has reported more than 81.6 million confirmed COVID-19 cases as of May 17. More than 992,000 Americans have died of COVID-19 — the highest death toll of any country.

Nationwide, there were an average of 24.3 daily new coronavirus cases per 100,000 Americans in the week ending May 17. Cumulatively, the U.S. has reported 24,885.1 cases per 100,000 Americans, and 302.3 deaths per 100,000 Americans.

In Wisconsin, there were an average of 37.5 daily new coronavirus cases per 100,000 residents in the week ending May 17. Cumulatively, Wisconsin has reported 28,156.0 cases per 100,000 state residents, the ninth most of all 50 states. Wisconsin has reported 249.1 deaths per 100,000, the 16th fewest of all 50 states.

While the nation’s largest metropolitan areas were hit hardest in the early months of the pandemic, nearly every city has suffered from the virus. Outbreaks are particularly likely to occur in places where large numbers of people tend to congregate, leaving cities with high concentrations of colleges, correctional facilities, and nursing homes particularly at risk.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, the Green Bay metropolitan area has reported 103,137 confirmed cases, or 32,290.8 per 100,000 residents — the most of any city in Wisconsin.

Fond du Lac, the city with the second most cases per capita, has reported 31,700.7 cases per 100,000 residents.

The coronavirus crisis has led to widespread unemployment across the country as consumer-facing businesses are forced to close and customers are encouraged to stay home. Unemployment in Green Bay peaked at 13.3% in April 2020, and is now at 2.7% as of November 2021.

To determine the metropolitan area in each state with the highest number of COVID-19 cases per capita, 24/7 Wall St. compiled and reviewed data from state and local health departments. We ranked metropolitan areas according to the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents as of May 17. Data was aggregated from the county level to the metropolitan area level using boundary definitions from the U.S. Census Bureau. Population data used to adjust case and death totals came from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2019 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).

MSA Population Total cases Cases per 100,000 Total deaths Deaths per 100,000
Green Bay, WI 319,401 103,137 32,290.8 737 230.7
Fond du Lac, WI 102,597 32,524 31,700.7 278 271.0
Oshkosh-Neenah, WI 170,411 53,045 31,127.7 382 224.2
Eau Claire, WI 167,406 50,419 30,117.8 374 223.4
La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN 136,542 40,648 29,769.6 205 150.1
Appleton, WI 235,628 70,070 29,737.6 527 223.7
Racine, WI 195,602 57,729 29,513.5 690 352.8
Wausau-Weston, WI 163,140 47,518 29,127.1 639 391.7
Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI 1,575,223 455,477 28,915.1 3,914 248.5
Sheboygan, WI 115,178 33,090 28,729.4 319 277.0
Janesville-Beloit, WI 162,152 44,315 27,329.3 395 243.6
Madison, WI 653,725 165,353 25,294.0 727 111.2

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