Coronavirus Cases Are Rising Fastest in These Five States

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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

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Coronavirus cases in the U.S. have surpassed 6.1 million, according to the latest report Thursday by Johns Hopkins University (JHU).

Several states have reported a rise in new cases per capita (100,000 people) in the latest two-week period, including in the Midwest and the southern region of the country.

Here we look at five states that reported the greatest increase in new cases per capita in the week ending September 2 (week one) from the previous seven days (week two).

All case data below is sourced from The New York Times, unless otherwise stated. All population data below is sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau.

1. Iowa

Week-to-week change in new cases per capita: 3,836

  • New cases per capita in week one: 8,241
  • New cases per capita in week two: 4,405
  • Total population: 3,155,070 (as of July 2019)
  • Total confirmed cases: 66,463

Average daily new cases in Iowa mostly flattened out from late April to mid-August, after which the average daily case count mostly increased on a sharp incline. It peaked at 1,741 on August 27, before decreasing through the rest of August, according to the latest report Wednesday by JHU.

2. Alabama

Week-to-week change in new cases per capita: 3,493

  • New cases per capita in week one: 10,374
  • New cases per capita in week two: 6,881
  • Total population: 4,903,185 (as of July 2019)
  • Total confirmed cases: 128,239

Average daily new infections in Alabama mostly increased on a sharp incline from late March through late July, peaking at 2,106 on July 24. The average daily case tally mostly declined through mid-August before mostly rising again, according to the latest report Wednesday from JHU.

3. South Dakota

Week-to-week change in new cases per capita: 1,074

  • New cases per capita in week one: 2,190
  • New cases per capita in week two: 1,116
  • Total population: 884,659 (as of July 2019)
  • Total confirmed cases: 14,003

Average daily new cases in South Dakota mostly flattened out from late May to mid-August. The average daily case count increased on a steep incline from then, peaking at 457 on August 28, according to the latest report Wednesday by JHU.

Deadwood, South Dakota, motorcycle rally 2020
Motorcyclists ride through downtown Deadwood, South Dakota during the 80th Annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally on August 8, 2020. Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images

4. Nebraska

Week-to-week change in new cases per capita: 641

  • New cases per capita in week one: 2,195
  • New cases per capita in week two: 1,554
  • Total population: 1,934,408 (as of July 2019)
  • Total confirmed cases: 34,995

Average daily new cases in Nebraska peaked at 497 on April 30 and mostly decreased through early June before mostly flattening through early July. The average daily case tally flattened again from late July through August, according to the latest report Wednesday from JHU.

5. North Dakota

Week-to-week change in new cases per capita: 324

  • New cases per capita in week one: 1,771
  • New cases per capita in week two: 1,447
  • Total population: 762,062 (as of July 2019)
  • Total confirmed cases: 12,271

Average daily new infections in North Dakota mostly flattened from mid-April to mid-June, before mostly increasing through late August. The average daily case count peaked at 339 on August 28, according to the latest report Wednesday from JHU.

The novel coronavirus has infected more than 26 million people across the globe. Over 863,000 have died, while more than 17.2 million have reportedly recovered, as of Thursday, according to JHU.

The graphic below, provided by Statista, illustrates the spread of COVID-19 cases in the U.S.

States with most COVID-19 cases
STATISTA

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

Countries with most COVID-19 cases
STATISTA
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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

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