Confirmed rural covid-19 infection and death rate much lower than metro rate; map shows county-level data

Daily Yonder map; click the image to enlarge it, or click here for the interactive version.

It is difficult to assess the spread of the coronavirus; testing has been restricted, and not all cases are reported. Figuring out rural vs. urban rates of infection is problematic, too, since not every case has been traced to a specific county. But new county-level data shows that rural infection rates remain lower than metropolitan rates, Tim Marema and Bill Bishop report for The Daily Yonder.

As of March 23, there were 41,096 confirmed covid-19 cases nationwide, and only 1,313, or 3 percent, were in a rural or non-metropolitan area, according to county-level data from USAFacts.org, Marema and Bishop report. Deaths from covid-19 have the same ratio: 15 non-metro counties have reported a covid-19 death, just under 3% of deaths nationwide.

Marema and Bishop stress that the numbers aren't written in stone, citing variations in testing procedures and reporting criteria. They also note that many cases will not likely be reported since those with mild cases are being urged to stay home and not get tested.