In Just A Week…Mapping COVID-19 Prevalence In U.S. Cities

I am continuing the project to map COVID-19 prevalence among U.S. largest cities, i.e., per-capita confirmed cases for 100,000 people.  It’s only been six days since I started tracking these numbers but they have already doubled for most cities (metropolitan areas). The war against COVID-19 continues…

Updated: Apr. 1, 2020 @ 9 p.m. EST

This chart below is another way to look at COVID-19 prevalence. The U.S. national average is one confirmed case for every 1,524 people. Metropolitan areas of New York, New Orleans, Detroit, Boston, Chicago, Seattle, and Philadelphia are all worse than the national average.   

Updated: Apr. 1, 2020 @ 9 p.m. EST

I know from experts that the number of confirmed cases most likely under-represent the true picture of COVID-19 infection in America. Given the shortage, inaccessibility, and inconsistency in testing, the vast majority of the country is under-tested to a varying degree and only the most symptomatic of people are tested and counted. Still, confirmed cases and deaths are the only universally available and reliable metrics we have to measure the prevalence of coronavirus.

I use a city metro area definition instead of strictly the city limit. The common standard of defining metro areas is the U.S. Census Metropolitan Statistical Area. For example, the Los Angeles Metro Area, under this standard, comprises Los Angeles County and Orange County, with a total population of 13 million—much larger than the City of Los Angeles alone in terms of geography and population.  

Data Source:

• Johns Hopkins University Center for System Sciences and Engineering – Tracking COVID-19
• U.S. Census – Metropolitan Statistical Area Population Totals 2018
• Office of Management & Budget – Bulletin No. 18-04 “Revised Delineations of Metropolitan Statistical Areas…”