Ironically, the nation that is considered the most medically advanced in the world has the highest number of both confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths. The U.S. recorded just over 50.2 million cases, which is 18% of the world’s total. Deaths, at just over 798,000, are 15% of the world’s total. Contributing considerably to these counts is California, the state with the most COVID-19 deaths in America.
The U.S. was hit very hard early in the pandemic. Deaths and cases in New York City and surrounding areas exploded in March, April, and May 2020. Another wave hit the Western states in summer 2020. A third hammered most of the U.S. a year ago, when death rates and cases hit all-time highs. The current wave started in early September and has continued. Holiday gatherings this year could increase infection rates again, particularly as the omicron variant spreads.
Since COVID-19 began to affect people in late 2019 or early 2020, there have been over 270 million confirmed cases worldwide and over 5.2 million deaths. Many experts consider these numbers to be much too low.
When the worldwide death figure crossed 5 million, Amber D’Souza, professor of epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, told National Geographic, “It’s quite possible that the number of deaths is double what we see.” U.S. case and death counts are also undercounted, according to most experts. (Find out which states are doing a better job fighting the virus: COVID-19: These are the states fighting it most successfully.)
To find the state with the most COVID-19 deaths, 24/7 Wall St. used data from state and local governments current as of Dec. 13.
The state where the most people have died of COVID-19 is California. Confirmed deaths sit at 75,554, or close to 10% of the national total. Confirmed cases, at 5,171,240, are also about 10% of the national figure. California’s population is just below 40 million, or about 12% of the American total.
California almost completely missed the first wave of COVID-19 in America, which ran from March to May 2020. It was hit, at a moderate level, by the summer surge last year. The surge that started a year ago and ran until late January was the devastating one in California. Highly-populated parts of the state like Los Angeles County ran out of intensive care beds. (Find out if California is among the states where the most people are vaccinated.)
California is part of the current surge in the U.S. and faces two challenges in the months ahead. One is the likely spread due to holiday gatherings. Another is the arrival of the omicron variant.
Vermont
>Confirmed Deaths: 432 as of Dec 13
>Confirmed Cases: 56,084 as of Dec 13
Alaska
>Confirmed Deaths: 862 as of Dec 13
>Confirmed Cases: 152,422 as of Dec 13
Hawaii
>Confirmed Deaths: 1,055 as of Dec 13
>Confirmed Cases: 89,014 as of Dec 13
District of Columbia
>Confirmed Deaths: 1,199 as of Dec 13
>Confirmed Cases: 68,702 as of Dec 13
Maine
>Confirmed Deaths: 1,367 as of Dec 13
>Confirmed Cases: 129,997 as of Dec 13
Wyoming
>Confirmed Deaths: 1,472 as of Dec 13
>Confirmed Cases: 112,862 as of Dec 13
New Hampshire
>Confirmed Deaths: 1,781 as of Dec 13
>Confirmed Cases: 174,456 as of Dec 13
North Dakota
>Confirmed Deaths: 1,989 as of Dec 13
>Confirmed Cases: 167,312 as of Dec 13
Delaware
>Confirmed Deaths: 2,218 as of Dec 13
>Confirmed Cases: 160,768 as of Dec 13
South Dakota
>Confirmed Deaths: 2,407 as of Dec 13
>Confirmed Cases: 171,583 as of Dec 13
Montana
>Confirmed Deaths: 2,830 as of Dec 13
>Confirmed Cases: 193,947 as of Dec 13
Rhode Island
>Confirmed Deaths: 2,969 as of Dec 13
>Confirmed Cases: 203,708 as of Dec 13
Nebraska
>Confirmed Deaths: 3,263 as of Dec 13
>Confirmed Cases: 322,477 as of Dec 13
Utah
>Confirmed Deaths: 3,661 as of Dec 13
>Confirmed Cases: 613,350 as of Dec 13
Idaho
>Confirmed Deaths: 4,030 as of Dec 13
>Confirmed Cases: 311,719 as of Dec 13
West Virginia
>Confirmed Deaths: 5,107 as of Dec 13
>Confirmed Cases: 308,204 as of Dec 13
Oregon
>Confirmed Deaths: 5,381 as of Dec 13
>Confirmed Cases: 400,188 as of Dec 13
New Mexico
>Confirmed Deaths: 5,474 as of Dec 13
>Confirmed Cases: 329,778 as of Dec 13
Kansas
>Confirmed Deaths: 6,902 as of Dec 13
>Confirmed Cases: 490,078 as of Dec 13
Iowa
>Confirmed Deaths: 7,550 as of Dec 13
>Confirmed Cases: 589,445 as of Dec 13
Nevada
>Confirmed Deaths: 8,201 as of Dec 13
>Confirmed Cases: 479,762 as of Dec 13
Arkansas
>Confirmed Deaths: 8,848 as of Dec 13
>Confirmed Cases: 538,426 as of Dec 13
Connecticut
>Confirmed Deaths: 8,972 as of Dec 13
>Confirmed Cases: 447,316 as of Dec 13
Washington
>Confirmed Deaths: 9,602 as of Dec 13
>Confirmed Cases: 793,129 as of Dec 13
Colorado
>Confirmed Deaths: 9,830 as of Dec 13
>Confirmed Cases: 859,545 as of Dec 13
Minnesota
>Confirmed Deaths: 10,042 as of Dec 13
>Confirmed Cases: 960,549 as of Dec 13
Mississippi
>Confirmed Deaths: 10,326 as of Dec 13
>Confirmed Cases: 519,115 as of Dec 13
Wisconsin
>Confirmed Deaths: 10,386 as of Dec 13
>Confirmed Cases: 1,024,195 as of Dec 13
Maryland
>Confirmed Deaths: 11,255 as of Dec 13
>Confirmed Cases: 592,912 as of Dec 13
Oklahoma
>Confirmed Deaths: 11,384 as of Dec 13
>Confirmed Cases: 681,346 as of Dec 13
Kentucky
>Confirmed Deaths: 11,610 as of Dec 13
>Confirmed Cases: 816,108 as of Dec 13
South Carolina
>Confirmed Deaths: 14,375 as of Dec 13
>Confirmed Cases: 929,077 as of Dec 13
Louisiana
>Confirmed Deaths: 14,884 as of Dec 13
>Confirmed Cases: 777,106 as of Dec 13
Virginia
>Confirmed Deaths: 14,957 as of Dec 13
>Confirmed Cases: 1,000,694 as of Dec 13
Missouri
>Confirmed Deaths: 15,718 as of Dec 13
>Confirmed Cases: 956,218 as of Dec 13
Alabama
>Confirmed Deaths: 16,265 as of Dec 13
>Confirmed Cases: 852,574 as of Dec 13
Tennessee
>Confirmed Deaths: 17,729 as of Dec 13
>Confirmed Cases: 1,336,078 as of Dec 13
Indiana
>Confirmed Deaths: 18,014 as of Dec 13
>Confirmed Cases: 1,154,552 as of Dec 13
North Carolina
>Confirmed Deaths: 19,020 as of Dec 13
>Confirmed Cases: 1,575,243 as of Dec 13
Massachusetts
>Confirmed Deaths: 19,634 as of Dec 13
>Confirmed Cases: 969,589 as of Dec 13
Arizona
>Confirmed Deaths: 23,040 as of Dec 13
>Confirmed Cases: 1,318,580 as of Dec 13
Michigan
>Confirmed Deaths: 26,880 as of Dec 13
>Confirmed Cases: 1,564,627 as of Dec 13
Ohio
>Confirmed Deaths: 27,371 as of Dec 13
>Confirmed Cases: 1,787,029 as of Dec 13
New Jersey
>Confirmed Deaths: 28,589 as of Dec 13
>Confirmed Cases: 1,306,722 as of Dec 13
Illinois
>Confirmed Deaths: 29,954 as of Dec 13
>Confirmed Cases: 1,908,614 as of Dec 13
Georgia
>Confirmed Deaths: 30,798 as of Dec 13
>Confirmed Cases: 1,676,787 as of Dec 13
Pennsylvania
>Confirmed Deaths: 34,618 as of Dec 13
>Confirmed Cases: 1,843,137 as of Dec 13
New York
>Confirmed Deaths: 59,784 as of Dec 13
>Confirmed Cases: 2,853,344 as of Dec 13
Florida
>Confirmed Deaths: 62,026 as of Dec 13
>Confirmed Cases: 3,713,214 as of Dec 13
Texas
>Confirmed Deaths: 74,939 as of Dec 13
>Confirmed Cases: 4,387,404 as of Dec 13
California
>Confirmed Deaths: 75,554 as of Dec 13
>Confirmed Cases: 5,171,240 as of Dec 13