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In the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, Covid-19 hit the world’s large cities and metropolitan areas first and hardest. In the days since, we’ve seen how rural communities and small towns are not beyond the pandemic’s reach.
Whether it’s meatpacking towns in the Midwest and the plains, tourism and recreation regions in the West and northeast, the hills and hollers of the rural South, or reservations across Indian Country, each day brings more developments as rural America faces the virus. Here at the Daily Yonder we’re tracking the spread and impact of Covid-19 across rural America.
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The numbers and maps on this dashboard are updated weekly. Scroll further down the page to follow our latest stories and related reporting.
The Rural Red-Zone
The Daily Yonder’s weekly red-zone report shows counties where Covid-19 is spreading at more than 100 new cases per 100,000 people over a one-week period. This threshold indicates that infections are out of control, according to White House Coronavirus Task Force definitions. Hover and click on the map to explore data for each U.S. county.
Track THE RURAL Spread – Previous ReD-Zone Reports
Cases and Deaths – Running Rural Totals
The dashboard numbers below track the raw number of Covid-19 cases and deaths to-date occurring in rural counties.
1,068,949
Rural Covid-19 Cases
22,556
Rural Covid-19 Deaths
Source: USAFacts. Last Updated: October 19, 2020.
The Pandemic’s Reach in Rural America
About 14.3 percent of the U.S. population lives in rural (non-metro) counties, according to Census estimates. The dashboard numbers below track the share of all Covid-19 cases and deaths to-date occurring in rural counties.
12.6%
Of All U.S. Covid-19 Cases are Rural
9.8%
Of All U.S. Covid-19 Deaths are Rural
Source: USAFacts. Last Updated: October 3, 2020.
The interactive charts above track a rolling seven-day average of rural counties’ share of Covid-19 cases and deaths, illustrating how much the virus is moving into rural areas over time. Whenever these numbers rise above 14.3 percent, rural America is experiencing a disproportionate share of new Covid-19 cases and deaths. This threshold is marked by the blue line in the charts.
How States Are Faring
Use the table below to track how many rural counties in your state are currently in the red zone and how those numbers compare to other states and previous weeks.
The Rural Stories of Covid-19
Numbers alone don’t tell the whole story. We’re collecting our most vital reporting on coronavirus here, so you can see the people and places of the pandemic.
The LATEST
Welcome to the Rural Wave: Rural Cases Are Likely to Keep Climbing
Quality News and Information is Essential – Don’t Miss A Story
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The REPORT FROM Rural Hospitals
Connecting COMMUNITY DESPITE DISTANCE
Back to SCHOOL? Rural Education in the Covid-19 ERA
Support this Critical Coverage – Donate to the Yonder
LOCAL LEaders RESPOND
Keeping SPirits UP – Some Momentary Diversions
Go Deeper
View our full Coronavirus Archives to review all of our reporting throughout the pandemic.