Covid-19 cases in rural counties increased by a nearly one-third in the past week; see fresh county-level data

Increase in covid-19 cases in rural and small metropolitan counties from April 13-19. Major metro areas are in gray.
Daily Yonder map; click the image to enlarge it, or click here to view the interactive version.

Though less than 5 percent of the nation's confirmed covid-19 cases are in rural counties, the pandemic continues to spread in rural counties at a slightly faster rate than in urban counties, according to the latest numbers from USA Facts. "On Monday, April 13, rural cases constituted 4.1 percent of all covid-19 cases in the U.S. On Sunday, April 19, they were 4.7% The growth is small but steady," especially in the South, Bill Bishop and Tim Marema report for The Daily Yonder.

During that period, 79 rural counties confirmed their first case of covid-19. Among the approximately 2,000 rural counties, 410 have not reported a case, the Yonder reports. Overall cases increased nearly a third, slightly higher than the metropolitan growth rate of about 23%, the Yonder reports.