COVID Deaths Are Highest in These 10 States

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The U.S. coronavirus death toll hit another grim milestone on Monday, with over 300,000 total reported deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University (JHU).

Here we look at 10 states that reported the most number of deaths per 100,000 people in the last seven days, according to the latest report Monday 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.

North Dakota

  • Deaths per 100,000 in last 7 days: 2.5
  • Highest average death toll in last 7 days: 21 on December 11
  • Total confirmed deaths: 1,157
  • Total population: 762,062

North Dakota recorded the country's highest number of deaths per 100,000 people in the past week. The state's average death toll has been rising sharply since early September, after flattening out for most of the outbreak since late March, according to Worldometer.

Iowa

  • Deaths per 100,000 in last 7 days: 2.4
  • Highest average death toll in last 7 days: 86 on December 10
  • Total confirmed deaths: 3,269
  • Total population: 3,155,070

The average death count in Iowa has been increasing sharply since early November, after flattening out for months since late March, according to Worldometer.

South Dakota

  • Deaths per 100,000 in last 7 days: 2.4
  • Highest average death toll in last 7 days: 23 on December 8
  • Total confirmed deaths: 1,259
  • Total population: 884,659

South Dakota's average death tally has been climbing on a steep incline from early October, after staying flat for months from April, according to Worldometer.

Wyoming

  • Deaths per 100,000 in last 7 days: 1.6
  • Highest average death toll in last 7 days: 9 on December 11 and 13
  • Total confirmed deaths: 321
  • Total population: 578,759

The average death count in Wyoming has been rising sharply since late October, after remaining flat from late April, according to Worldometer.

Colorado

  • Deaths per 100,000 in last 7 days: 1.5
  • Highest average death toll in last 7 days: 87 on December 14
  • Total confirmed deaths: 3,969
  • Total population: 5,758,736

The average death toll in Colorado hit a record high on Monday. The figure has been rising sharply from early November, after declining from late April and remaining flat since early July, according to Worldometer.

Arkansas

  • Deaths per 100,000 in last 7 days: 1.4
  • Highest average death toll in last 7 days: 41 on December 12
  • Total confirmed deaths: 2,990
  • Total population: 3,017,804

The average death count in Arkansas has been gradually increasing throughout the outbreak and rose sharply from early December, according to Worldometer.

Illinois

  • Deaths per 100,000 in last 7 days: 1.4
  • Highest average death toll in last 7 days: 183 on December 11
  • Total confirmed deaths: 15,454
  • Total population: 12,671,821

The average death toll in Illinois has been rising on a steep incline from early November, after declining from mid-May and flattening out from early July, according to Worldometer.

Kansas

  • Deaths per 100,000 in last 7 days: 1.4
  • Highest average death toll in last 7 days: 41 on December 12 and 13
  • Total confirmed deaths: 2,109
  • Total population: 2,913,314

The average death count in Kansas has been rising sharply since early October, after flattening out from late March, according to Worldometer.

New Mexico

  • Deaths per 100,000 in last 7 days: 1.4
  • Highest average death toll in last 7 days: 32 on December 14
  • Total confirmed deaths: 1,978
  • Total population: 2,096,829

The average death count in New Mexico reached a record level of 32 on Monday. The figure has been rising sharply since early November, after remaining flat for months since late March, according to Worldometer.

Pennsylvania

  • Deaths per 100,000 in last 7 days: 1.4
  • Highest average death toll in last 7 days: 180 on December 14
  • Total confirmed deaths: 12,552
  • Total population: 12,801,989

Pennsylvania's average death tally hit 180 on Monday, the highest level since the outbreak began. The figure has been climbing sharply early November, after declining from early May and flattening out from late June, according to Worldometer.

COVID-19 nurses Chicago Illinois hospital December 2020
Intensive care unit nurses prepare a bed for a COVID-19 patient due to arrive at Chicago's Roseland Community Hospital on December 14. Illinois is among 10 states that reported the highest number of deaths per... Scott Olson/Getty Images

The wider picture

The novel coronavirus has infected more than 73 million people, including over 16.5 million in the U.S., since it was first reported in Wuhan, China.

More than 1.6 million people have died worldwide and over 41.4 million have recovered as of Tuesday, according to John Hopkins University.

The graphic below, provided by Statista, shows the countries with the highest COVID-19 death tolls.

coronavirus death toll us december 13
Statista

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

COVID-19 elderly patients in U.S.
STATISTA

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