Health and Healthcare

COVID-19: These Are the Only 80 Counties Where No One Had Died

Douglas A. McIntyre

Published: January 13, 2021 9:59 am

COVID-19 has killed 383,290 people in America, according to the Microsoft Bing COVID-19 Tracker. One academic forecast expects the spread of the disease could drive the figure to over 700,000 by the end of March. There are 3,141 counties in America, and at least one person has died in the great majority of them.

In the hardest-hit counties, particularly in and around New York City, Los Angeles and Houston, coronavirus deaths number in the thousands. In Queens County, part of New York City, the number is already 5,507. In Kings County, which contains the borough of Brooklyn, also in New York City, the figure currently is 5,573. Los Angeles County, the most populous county in the country, has had 12,674 deaths. Cook County, home of Chicago, has had 8,841.

However, 80 counties have had no COVID-19 deaths at all as of January 11. Some are in states that have had very few deaths, like Vermont. Others are very small counties, based on population, in hard-hit states like Kansas.

It is not surprising that the counties with no deaths have small populations. The largest is Dukes County, Massachusetts. Its population is 17,313. According to the Census Bureau, almost 90% of the population is white, much higher than the national average. Almost 5% is Black. The median home value is $699,500, well more than twice the national average. Household income is $71,811, also above the national. The poverty rate is a relatively low 7.3%. Dukes County encompasses the entire island of Martha’s Vineyard.

Next on the list, San Juan County, Washington, has a population of 16,473. Third, Estill County, Kentucky has a population of 14,313. The geographic spread among the three counties shows there is little relationship between COVID-19 deaths and location.

Four of the counties on the list have posted less than 10 confirmed COVID-19 cases. These are Harding County in New Mexico, Skagway County in Alaska, and King and Loving Counties in Texas. Loving has recorded only one confirmed case.

Twenty-two of the counties on the list have populations of less than 1,000.

This is by far the hardest-hit state now.

This is America’s worst hotspot.

These are the 80 counties where no one has died from COVID-19: