Rural coronavirus infection and death rates still dwarf metro rates; Georgia, Idaho have highest non-metro death rates

New coronavirus infections, in ranges by county, Oct. 3-9
Map by The Daily Yonder; click the image to enlarge it or click here for the interactive version.

New coronavirus infections in non-metropolitan counties fell about 12 percent during the week of Oct. 3-9, marking the third consecutive week of falling rates, and Covid-19 deaths dell 14% in non-metro counties and 12% in metro counties, Tim Murphy and Tim Marema report for The Daily Yonder. Overall, the rural infection rate was about two-thirds higher than the metropolitan rate as of Oct. 9, while the rural death rate was 89% higher.

Some states' rural areas fared better than others. Rural counties in 12 states had higher infection rates last week than two weeks ago, led by Nevada's 84% increase. "Other states that saw double-digit percentage increases in rural infection rates were New Hampshire, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Connecticut, North Dakota, and Montana," Murphy and Marema report. "States that reduced their rural infection rates by more than 30% were Nebraska, Alaska, Texas, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, West Virginia, and Maine."

Among the Yonder's interactive features is a chart comparing metro and non-metro infection and deaths rates by state. It's sortable by column; this screenshot shows the top 25 states by non-metro death rates. Nevada has the highest infection rate.

Screenshot of chart by The Daily Yonder; click here for the interactive version.