COVID Deaths Are Highest in These 9 States

Life and Trends Reporter

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More people in the U.S. have died from the coronavirus than in combat during WWII. The country's COVID-19 death toll has surpassed 292,100, as of Friday, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University (JHU).

Here we look at nine states that reported the most number of deaths per 100,000 people in the last seven days, according to the latest report Thursday from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Death data below is from the CDC and JHU, while the population data is from the U.S. Census Bureau. Average death tolls reflect a seven-day average of fatalities, according to Worldometer.

Iowa

Deaths per 100,000 in last 7 days: 2.6
Highest average death toll in last 7 days: 86 on December 10
Total confirmed deaths: 2,724
Total population: 3,155,070

Iowa recorded the country's highest number of deaths per 100,000 people in the past week. The state's average death toll reached a record high on Thursday. The figure has been rising sharply since early November, after flattening out since early April, according to Worldometer.

Deaths per 100,000 in last 7 days: 2.5
Highest average death toll in last 7 days: 26 on December 4
Total confirmed deaths: 1,177
Total population: 884,659

The average death toll in South Dakota has been rising on a sharp incline from early October, after remaining flat for months since early April, according to Worldometer.

North Dakota

Deaths per 100,000 in last 7 days: 2.4
Highest average death toll in last 7 days: 18 on December 10
Total confirmed deaths: 1,109
Total population: 762,062

North Dakota reported a record average daily death toll on Thursday. The figure has been rising sharply since mid-September, after flattening out for most of the outbreak from early April, according to Worldometer.

Wyoming

Deaths per 100,000 in last 7 days: 1.7
Highest average death toll in last 7 days: 10 on December 7 and 10
Total confirmed deaths: 299
Total population: 578,759

On Monday, the average death toll in Wyoming hit its highest level since the outbreak began. The figure has been increasing on a steep incline from late October. Following a brief sharp decline from late November to early December, the figure has been rising sharply again through the rest of December, according to Worldometer.

Illinois

Deaths per 100,000 in last 7 days: 1.4
Highest average death toll in last 7 days: 179 on December 8
Total confirmed deaths: 14,844
Total population: 12,671,821

The average death count in Illinois hit a record high on Tuesday. The figure has been rising sharply from late October, after declining from mid-May and flattening out from early July, according to Worldometer.

Arkansas

Deaths per 100,000 in last 7 days: 1.3
Highest average death toll in last 7 days: 38 on December 10
Total confirmed deaths: 2,820
Total population: 3,017,804

The average death tally in Arkansas reached a record high on Thursday. The figure has been increasing since early July, after flattening out from late March to early July, according to Worldometer.

Kansas

Deaths per 100,000 in last 7 days: 1.3
Highest average death toll in last 7 days: 42 on December 7 and 8
Total confirmed deaths: 1,941
Total population: 2,913,314

On Monday, the average death count in Kansas reached its highest level since the outbreak began. The figure has been rising sharply from early October, after flattening out for months since April, according to Worldometer.

New Mexico

Deaths per 100,000 in last 7 days: 1.3
Highest average death toll in last 7 days: 30 on December 5 and 6
Total confirmed deaths: 1,846
Total population: 2,096,829

The average death tally in New Mexico hit a record level last weekend. The figure has been rising on a sharp incline from late October, after remaining flat from late March, according to Worldometer.

Rhode Island

Deaths per 100,000 in last 7 days: 1.3
Highest average death toll in last 7 days: 13 on December 9
Total confirmed deaths: 1,498
Total population: 1,059,361

The average death count in Rhode Island has been rising sharply since early November, after declining from early May and flattening out from early July, according to Worldometer.

South Dakota Annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally 2020 — Motorcyclists in Deadwood, South Dakota during the 2020 Annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally on August 8. South Dakota is among the states that reported the country's highest number of COVID-19 deaths per 100,000 people in the... Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images

The wider picture

The novel coronavirus has infected more than 69.6 million people, including over 15.6 million in the U.S., since it was first reported in Wuhan, China.

More than 1.5 million people have died worldwide and over 44.9 million have recovered as of Friday, according to JHU.

The graphic below, produced by Statista, shows the distribution of COVID-19 deaths among the U.S. population.