U.S. Coronavirus Deaths Are Highest in These Five States

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Coronavirus deaths in the U.S. have surpassed 196,800, as of Thursday, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

The seven-day moving average of daily new deaths in the country rose on a sharp incline from late March to late April, peaking at 2,256 on April 21, according to data compiled by Worldometer.

From late April, average daily new deaths mostly declined through early July. From then, the average count mostly increased through early August, before dipping again through September, according to the data from Worldometer.

Below we look at the five states with the highest number of COVID-19 deaths to date. All case and death data is sourced from JHU, unless otherwise stated. All population data is sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau.

1. New York

  • Total deaths: 33,042
  • Total cases: 446,366
  • Total population: 19,453,561 (as of July 2019)

The seven-day moving average of daily new deaths in New York increased on a sharp incline from late March to April 13, when it peaked at 956, before mostly declining and flattening out from late June, according to data compiled by Worldometer.

2. New Jersey

  • Total deaths: 16,054
  • Total cases: 197,792
  • Total population: 8,882,190 (as of July 2019)

The seven-day moving average of daily new fatalities in New Jersey mostly increased from late March, just before briefly dipping and rising from late April through early May. From then, the seven-day average of daily new deaths mostly declined through late July, after which it mostly flattened out, according to Worldometer.

3. California

  • Total deaths: 14,739
  • Total cases: 772,188
  • Total population: 39,512,223 (as of July 2019)

Average daily new deaths in California have been on an upward trend throughout the outbreak. The seven-day moving average of daily new deaths rose from late March before mostly flattening out through late July. From then, it increased until early August, after which it mostly declined, according to data from Worldometer.

4. Texas

  • Total deaths: 14,738
  • Total cases: 696,807
  • Total population: 28,995,881 (as of July 2019)

The seven-day moving average of daily new deaths in Texas remained mostly flat from late March to early July. From then, the figure rose on a sharp incline through early August, peaking at 276 on August 4, before mostly declining through mid-September, according to Worldometer.

On July 27, the Texas Department of State Health Services announced it would be using death certificates, instead of data from local health departments, to determine COVID-19 deaths. This new method resulted in 600 fatalities being added to the state's overall death toll at the time.

5. Florida

  • Total deaths: 12,939
  • Total cases: 671,201
  • Total population: 21,477,737 (as of July 2019)

The seven-day moving average of daily new fatalities in Florida rose for a few weeks from late March to mid-April, before mostly flattening out through late June. From then, the figure rose sharply through early August, before a brief dip and rise through mid-August, Worldometerreported.

Average daily new deaths declined through early September, before briefly climbing upwards through mid-September, according to Worldometer.

Los Angeles coronavirus deaths memorial August 2020
Photos of the deceased displayed on August 3 in Los Angeles at a public memorial honoring Los Angeles County residents who died due to novel coronavirus infection. California is among the U.S. states with the... Mario Tama/Getty Images

The wider picture

The novel coronavirus has infected over 29.9 million people across the globe, including more than 6.6 million in the U.S. Over 941,500 people have died globally, while more than 20.3 million have reportedly recovered from infection, according to the latest report Thursday by Johns Hopkins University.

The graphic below, provided by Statista, illustrates U.S. states with the most COVID-19 cases.

Spread of COVID-19 cases in U.S.
STATISTA

The below graphic, also provided by Statista, illustrates the spread of COVID-19 cases in counties across the globe.

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About the writer

Soo Kim is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. She covers various lifestyle stories, specializing in travel, health, home/interior design and property/real estate. Soo covered the COVID-19 pandemic extensively from 2020 to 2022, including several interviews with the chief medical advisor to the president, Dr. Anthony Fauci. Soo has reported on various major news events, including the Black Lives Matter movement, the U.S. Capitol riots, the war in Afghanistan, the U.S. and Canadian elections, and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Soo is also a South Korea expert, covering the latest K-dramas—including the breakout hit Squid Game, which she has covered extensively, including from Seoul, the South Korean capital—as well as Korean films, such as the Golden Globe and Oscar-nominated Past Lives, and K-pop news, to interviews with the biggest Korean actors, such as Lee Jung-jae from Squid Game and Star Wars, and Korean directors, such as Golden Globe and Oscar nominee Celine Song. Soo is the author of the book How to Live Korean, which is available in 11 languages, and co-author of the book Hello, South Korea: Meet the Country Behind Hallyu. Before Newsweek, Soo was a travel reporter and commissioning editor for the award-winning travel section of The Daily Telegraph (a leading U.K. national newspaper) for nearly a decade from 2010, reporting on the latest in the travel industry, from travel news, consumer travel and aviation issues to major new openings and emerging destinations. Soo is a graduate of Binghamton University in New York and the journalism school of City University in London, where she earned a Masters in international journalism. You can get in touch with Soo by emailing s.kim@newsweek.com . Follow her on Instagram at @miss.soo.kim or X, formerly Twitter, at @MissSooKim .Languages spoken: English and Korean


Soo Kim is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. She covers various lifestyle stories, specializing in Read more