Special Report
How the Worst Week for COVID Compares to Today in Every State
Published:
COVID-19 has killed more than 1 million people in the U.S. since it was first detected in the country in January 2020. Over the time since the Trump Administration declared a national emergency to President Joe Biden declaring in September that the pandemic was over, the U.S. went from almost complete lockdown to no more mask mandates and largely unrestricted travel.
The death toll from COVID-19 has declined dramatically as vaccines have become widely available, but not completely. People are still dying from COVID-19 every day. (These are the greatest public health achievements of the 21st century.)
As of Oct. 5, 2022, an average of 391 people died every day nationwide (seven-day average), according to The New York Times. This is about 10 times less than the average daily deaths at the end of 2020 and the beginning of 2021, the peak of the pandemic in the U.S. in terms of deaths. Almost 100,000 people died in January 2021 alone – about 3,200 deaths a day.
To compare COVID-19 deaths now and at the peak in each state, 24/7 Tempo reviewed local, state, and national data. We attempted to consider only natural peaks as opposed to an apparent peak caused by states adjusting their data and reporting a large number of previously unaccounted-for deaths on one day. We may not have caught all such instances, however. Vaccination data came from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and is current as of Sept. 28. Population data came from the Census Bureau’s 2021 American Community Survey and is not the one used to calculate per capita rates.
The majority of the states that had some of the highest COVID-19 death rates at the peak, have the highest total (cumulative) death rate today. Today, in all states, the average daily deaths over the past seven days is considerably lower than it was at the peak. For example, there were nearly 176 daily deaths in the week of ending Jan. 13, 2021 in Arizona. As of Sept. 29, there were an average of 12 daily deaths. (These are 30 famous people who died from COVID.)
The states with the highest number of average daily deaths in the past seven days (as of Sept. 29 in most states) are not concentrated in any one region. This is unlike in the early days of the pandemic, where New York City, New Jersey, and other Northeastern regions were the worst hit. Today, the average daily deaths largely rises and falls with population. For example, California, Florida, Texas, New York, and Pennsylvania, the fifth most populous states, all have among the current highest average daily deaths.
Click here to see how the worst week of COVID compares to today in every state
Alabama
> Avg. daily deaths past 7 days, Sep 29, 22 4.0
> Peak avg. daily deaths, Jan 29, 21: 154.3
> Total deaths by peak date, Jan 29, 21: 7,566 or 154.8 per 100,000
> Current total deaths, Sep 29, 22 20,395 or 417.3 per 100,000 – 3rd highest
> Residents with at least 1 booster: 38.1% – 3rd lowest
> Population, 2021: 5,039,877
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Alaska
> Avg. daily deaths past 7 days, Sep 22, 22 3.6
> Peak avg. daily deaths, Nov 15, 21: 12.6
> Total deaths by peak date, Nov 15, 21: 801 or 108.6 per 100,000
> Current total deaths, Sep 22, 22 1,329 or 180.2 per 100,000 – 4th lowest
> Residents with at least 1 booster: 47.4% – 22nd lowest
> Population, 2021: 732,673
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Arizona
> Avg. daily deaths past 7 days, Sep 29, 22 11.7
> Peak avg. daily deaths, Jan 13, 21: 175.6
> Total deaths by peak date, Jan 13, 21: 10,673 or 148.8 per 100,000
> Current total deaths, Sep 29, 22 31,326 or 436.8 per 100,000 – the highest
> Residents with at least 1 booster: 45.5% – 16th lowest
> Population, 2021: 7,276,316
Arkansas
> Avg. daily deaths past 7 days, Sep 29, 22 5.0
> Peak avg. daily deaths, Dec 21, 20: 50.0
> Total deaths by peak date, Dec 21, 20: 3,295 or 109.3 per 100,000
> Current total deaths, Sep 29, 22 12,028 or 399.1 per 100,000 – 7th highest
> Residents with at least 1 booster: 42.3% – 9th lowest
> Population, 2021: 3,025,891
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California
> Avg. daily deaths past 7 days, Sep 27, 22 27.0
> Peak avg. daily deaths, Jan 28, 21: 565.3
> Total deaths by peak date, Jan 28, 21: 38,961 or 98.5 per 100,000
> Current total deaths, Sep 27, 22 94,747 or 239.5 per 100,000 – 11th lowest
> Residents with at least 1 booster: 56.1% – 9th highest
> Population, 2021: 39,237,836
Colorado
> Avg. daily deaths past 7 days, Sep 29, 22 2.1
> Peak avg. daily deaths, Dec 16, 20: 101.9
> Total deaths by peak date, Dec 16, 20: 4,085 or 71.7 per 100,000
> Current total deaths, Sep 29, 22 13,260 or 232.8 per 100,000 – 10th lowest
> Residents with at least 1 booster: 55.5% – 11th highest
> Population, 2021: 5,812,069
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Connecticut
> Avg. daily deaths past 7 days, Sep 29, 22 1.7
> Peak avg. daily deaths, Apr 26, 20: 113.9
> Total deaths by peak date, Apr 26, 20: 1,924 or 53.9 per 100,000
> Current total deaths, Sep 29, 22 11,343 or 317.5 per 100,000 – 23rd lowest
> Residents with at least 1 booster: 53.9% – 17th highest
> Population, 2021: 3,605,597
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Delaware
> Avg. daily deaths past 7 days, Sep 29, 22 0.3
> Peak avg. daily deaths, Nov 02, 21: 18.1
> Total deaths by peak date, Nov 02, 21: 1,262 or 130.5 per 100,000
> Current total deaths, Sep 29, 22 3,088 or 319.3 per 100,000 – 25th lowest
> Residents with at least 1 booster: 48.9% – 24th highest
> Population, 2021: 1,003,384
Florida
> Avg. daily deaths past 7 days, Sep 29, 22 17.6
> Peak avg. daily deaths, Sep 14, 21: 477.4
> Total deaths by peak date, Sep 14, 21: 49,251 or 231.2 per 100,000
> Current total deaths, Sep 29, 22 81,077 or 380.7 per 100,000 – 12th highest
> Residents with at least 1 booster: 42.7% – 10th lowest
> Population, 2021: 21,781,128
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Georgia
> Avg. daily deaths past 7 days, Sep 29, 22 20.9
> Peak avg. daily deaths, Jan 20, 21: 139.3
> Total deaths by peak date, Jan 20, 21: 12,778 or 121.5 per 100,000
> Current total deaths, Sep 29, 22 40,171 or 381.9 per 100,000 – 11th highest
> Residents with at least 1 booster: 41.2% – 7th lowest
> Population, 2021: 10,799,566
Hawaii
> Avg. daily deaths past 7 days, Sep 29, 22 2.0
> Peak avg. daily deaths, Jan 27, 21: 11.3
> Total deaths by peak date, Jan 27, 21: 404 or 28.4 per 100,000
> Current total deaths, Sep 29, 22 1,667 or 117.4 per 100,000 – 2nd lowest
> Residents with at least 1 booster: 57.7% – 5th highest
> Population, 2021: 1,441,553
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Idaho
> Avg. daily deaths past 7 days, Sep 29, 22 0.9
> Peak avg. daily deaths, May 10, 21: 30.0
> Total deaths by peak date, May 10, 21: 2,963 or 168.9 per 100,000
> Current total deaths, Sep 29, 22 5,164 or 294.4 per 100,000 – 17th lowest
> Residents with at least 1 booster: 46.2% – 18th lowest
> Population, 2021: 1,900,923
Illinois
> Avg. daily deaths past 7 days, Sep 29, 22 6.7
> Peak avg. daily deaths, Nov 12, 20: 183.6
> Total deaths by peak date, Nov 12, 20: 15,067 or 118.3 per 100,000
> Current total deaths, Sep 29, 22 39,598 or 310.8 per 100,000 – 19th lowest
> Residents with at least 1 booster: 55.1% – 13th highest
> Population, 2021: 12,671,469
Indiana
> Avg. daily deaths past 7 days, Sep 29, 22 3.9
> Peak avg. daily deaths, Oct 02, 21: 119.0
> Total deaths by peak date, Oct 02, 21: 17,557 or 262.4 per 100,000
> Current total deaths, Sep 29, 22 24,641 or 368.2 per 100,000 – 16th highest
> Residents with at least 1 booster: 48.9% – 24th highest
> Population, 2021: 6,805,985
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Iowa
> Avg. daily deaths past 7 days, Sep 29, 22 8.1
> Peak avg. daily deaths, Feb 12, 21: 103.9
> Total deaths by peak date, Feb 12, 21: 3,451 or 109.3 per 100,000
> Current total deaths, Sep 29, 22 10,051 or 318.5 per 100,000 – 24th lowest
> Residents with at least 1 booster: 55.3% – 12th highest
> Population, 2021: 3,193,079
Kansas
> Avg. daily deaths past 7 days, Sep 29, 22 1.0
> Peak avg. daily deaths, Oct 02, 21: 58.3
> Total deaths by peak date, Oct 02, 21: 4,303 or 147.8 per 100,000
> Current total deaths, Sep 29, 22 9,079 or 311.8 per 100,000 – 21st lowest
> Residents with at least 1 booster: 46.7% – 21st lowest
> Population, 2021: 2,934,582
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Kentucky
> Avg. daily deaths past 7 days, Sep 29, 22 3.6
> Peak avg. daily deaths, Dec 13, 21: 64.6
> Total deaths by peak date, Dec 13, 21: 11,479 or 256.9 per 100,000
> Current total deaths, Sep 29, 22 16,945 or 379.2 per 100,000 – 13th highest
> Residents with at least 1 booster: 46.6% – 20th lowest
> Population, 2021: 4,509,394
Louisiana
> Avg. daily deaths past 7 days, Sep 29, 22 1.7
> Peak avg. daily deaths, Sep 16, 21: 66.0
> Total deaths by peak date, Sep 16, 21: 13,241 or 284.1 per 100,000
> Current total deaths, Sep 29, 22 17,993 or 386.1 per 100,000 – 9th highest
> Residents with at least 1 booster: 41.8% – 8th lowest
> Population, 2021: 4,624,047
Maine
> Avg. daily deaths past 7 days, Sep 27, 22 0.7
> Peak avg. daily deaths, Feb 28, 22: 22.7
> Total deaths by peak date, Feb 28, 22: 2,042 or 152.6 per 100,000
> Current total deaths, Sep 27, 22 2,569 or 191.9 per 100,000 – 6th lowest
> Residents with at least 1 booster: 58.7% – 3rd highest
> Population, 2021: 1,372,247
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Maryland
> Avg. daily deaths past 7 days, Sep 29, 22 2.6
> Peak avg. daily deaths, Jan 25, 22: 81.7
> Total deaths by peak date, Jan 25, 22: 13,123 or 217.2 per 100,000
> Current total deaths, Sep 29, 22 15,347 or 254.0 per 100,000 – 13th lowest
> Residents with at least 1 booster: 54.7% – 15th highest
> Population, 2021: 6,165,129
Massachusetts
> Avg. daily deaths past 7 days, Sep 27, 22 7.4
> Peak avg. daily deaths, Apr 26, 20: 191.3
> Total deaths by peak date, Apr 26, 20: 2,899 or 42.0 per 100,000
> Current total deaths, Sep 27, 22 21,588 or 312.8 per 100,000 – 22nd lowest
> Residents with at least 1 booster: 54.0% – 16th highest
> Population, 2021: 6,984,723
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Michigan
> Avg. daily deaths past 7 days, Sep 29, 22 21.0
> Peak avg. daily deaths, Mar 12, 21: 199.5
> Total deaths by peak date, Mar 12, 21: 25,798 or 258.1 per 100,000
> Current total deaths, Sep 29, 22 38,464 or 384.8 per 100,000 – 10th highest
> Residents with at least 1 booster: 56.7% – 6th highest
> Population, 2021: 10,050,811
Minnesota
> Avg. daily deaths past 7 days, Sep 27, 22 7.0
> Peak avg. daily deaths, Dec 16, 20: 66.6
> Total deaths by peak date, Dec 16, 20: 4,575 or 81.5 per 100,000
> Current total deaths, Sep 27, 22 13,558 or 241.6 per 100,000 – 12th lowest
> Residents with at least 1 booster: 60.7% – 2nd highest
> Population, 2021: 5,707,390
Mississippi
> Avg. daily deaths past 7 days, Sep 29, 22 3.7
> Peak avg. daily deaths, Aug 02, 22: 59.9
> Total deaths by peak date, Aug 02, 22: 11,250 or 376.7 per 100,000
> Current total deaths, Sep 29, 22 12,879 or 431.2 per 100,000 – 2nd highest
> Residents with at least 1 booster: 39.9% – 5th lowest
> Population, 2021: 2,949,965
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Missouri
> Avg. daily deaths past 7 days, Sep 27, 22 6.6
> Peak avg. daily deaths, Mar 03, 22: 100.9
> Total deaths by peak date, Mar 03, 22: 19,069 or 311.3 per 100,000
> Current total deaths, Sep 27, 22 21,421 or 349.6 per 100,000 – 20th highest
> Residents with at least 1 booster: 45.1% – 14th lowest
> Population, 2021: 6,168,187
Montana
> Avg. daily deaths past 7 days, Sep 27, 22 0.4
> Peak avg. daily deaths, Mar 12, 21: 42.0
> Total deaths by peak date, Mar 12, 21: 2,722 or 256.2 per 100,000
> Current total deaths, Sep 27, 22 3,512 or 330.6 per 100,000 – 24th highest
> Residents with at least 1 booster: 50.0% – 22nd highest
> Population, 2021: 1,104,271
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Nebraska
> Avg. daily deaths past 7 days, Sep 20, 22 2.6
> Peak avg. daily deaths, Aug 12, 20: 31.1
> Total deaths by peak date, Aug 12, 20: 1,236 or 64.1 per 100,000
> Current total deaths, Sep 20, 22 4,490 or 232.7 per 100,000 – 9th lowest
> Residents with at least 1 booster: 53.5% – 18th highest
> Population, 2021: 1,963,692
Nevada
> Avg. daily deaths past 7 days, Sep 29, 22 4.1
> Peak avg. daily deaths, Apr 18, 22: 72.3
> Total deaths by peak date, Apr 18, 22: 10,660 or 351.3 per 100,000
> Current total deaths, Sep 29, 22 11,475 or 378.2 per 100,000 – 14th highest
> Residents with at least 1 booster: 41.1% – 6th lowest
> Population, 2021: 3,143,991
New Hampshire
> Avg. daily deaths past 7 days, Sep 29, 22 0.6
> Peak avg. daily deaths, Feb 12, 21: 22.0
> Total deaths by peak date, Feb 12, 21: 1,716 or 126.5 per 100,000
> Current total deaths, Sep 29, 22 2,688 or 198.2 per 100,000 – 7th lowest
> Residents with at least 1 booster: 49.4% – 23rd highest
> Population, 2021: 1,388,992
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New Jersey
> Avg. daily deaths past 7 days, Sep 29, 22 2.1
> Peak avg. daily deaths, Jun 28, 20: 278.3
> Total deaths by peak date, Jun 28, 20: 4,753 or 53.4 per 100,000
> Current total deaths, Sep 29, 22 34,694 or 389.4 per 100,000 – 8th highest
> Residents with at least 1 booster: 50.2% – 21st highest
> Population, 2021: 9,267,130
New Mexico
> Avg. daily deaths past 7 days, Sep 29, 22 1.9
> Peak avg. daily deaths, Apr 21, 20: 37.1
> Total deaths by peak date, Apr 21, 20: 2,049 or 97.8 per 100,000
> Current total deaths, Sep 29, 22 8,534 or 407.3 per 100,000 – 6th highest
> Residents with at least 1 booster: 52.6% – 19th highest
> Population, 2021: 2,115,877
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New York
> Avg. daily deaths past 7 days, Sep 29, 22 9.3
> Peak avg. daily deaths, Apr 15, 20: 759.7
> Total deaths by peak date, Apr 15, 20: 11,586 or 59.3 per 100,000
> Current total deaths, Sep 29, 22 70,889 or 362.7 per 100,000 – 18th highest
> Residents with at least 1 booster: 47.5% – 23rd lowest
> Population, 2021: 19,835,913
North Carolina
> Avg. daily deaths past 7 days, Sep 29, 22 5.9
> Peak avg. daily deaths, Jan 27, 21: 102.1
> Total deaths by peak date, Jan 27, 21: 8,915 or 85.9 per 100,000
> Current total deaths, Sep 29, 22 26,458 or 254.8 per 100,000 – 14th lowest
> Residents with at least 1 booster: 29.4% – the lowest
> Population, 2021: 10,551,162
North Dakota
> Avg. daily deaths past 7 days, Sep 27, 22 1.4
> Peak avg. daily deaths, Nov 17, 20: 17.9
> Total deaths by peak date, Nov 17, 20: 769 or 101.2 per 100,000
> Current total deaths, Sep 27, 22 2,364 or 311.0 per 100,000 – 20th lowest
> Residents with at least 1 booster: 45.8% – 17th lowest
> Population, 2021: 774,948
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Ohio
> Avg. daily deaths past 7 days, Sep 27, 22 14.1
> Peak avg. daily deaths, Jan 25, 22: 221.7
> Total deaths by peak date, Jan 25, 22: 31,987 or 273.6 per 100,000
> Current total deaths, Sep 27, 22 39,675 or 339.4 per 100,000 – 23rd highest
> Residents with at least 1 booster: 54.8% – 14th highest
> Population, 2021: 11,780,017
Oklahoma
> Avg. daily deaths past 7 days, Sep 29, 22 0.3
> Peak avg. daily deaths, Mar 03, 22: 73.0
> Total deaths by peak date, Mar 03, 22: 13,278 or 336.7 per 100,000
> Current total deaths, Sep 29, 22 14,786 or 375.0 per 100,000 – 15th highest
> Residents with at least 1 booster: 39.8% – 4th lowest
> Population, 2021: 3,986,639
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Oregon
> Avg. daily deaths past 7 days, Sep 29, 22 4.0
> Peak avg. daily deaths, Oct 11, 21: 34.7
> Total deaths by peak date, Oct 11, 21: 4,620 or 110.2 per 100,000
> Current total deaths, Sep 29, 22 8,520 or 203.3 per 100,000 – 8th lowest
> Residents with at least 1 booster: 56.5% – 7th highest
> Population, 2021: 4,246,155
Pennsylvania
> Avg. daily deaths past 7 days, Sep 29, 22 18.3
> Peak avg. daily deaths, Jan 14, 21: 223.3
> Total deaths by peak date, Jan 14, 21: 18,742 or 146.3 per 100,000
> Current total deaths, Sep 29, 22 47,098 or 367.8 per 100,000 – 17th highest
> Residents with at least 1 booster: 44.6% – 13th lowest
> Population, 2021: 12,964,056
Rhode Island
> Avg. daily deaths past 7 days, Sep 27, 22 1.3
> Peak avg. daily deaths, Aug 05, 20: 20.4
> Total deaths by peak date, Aug 05, 20: 520 or 49.2 per 100,000
> Current total deaths, Sep 27, 22 3,661 or 346.3 per 100,000 – 21st highest
> Residents with at least 1 booster: 56.4% – 8th highest
> Population, 2021: 1,095,610
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South Carolina
> Avg. daily deaths past 7 days, Sep 27, 22 2.1
> Peak avg. daily deaths, Feb 02, 21: 105.7
> Total deaths by peak date, Feb 02, 21: 7,318 or 143.9 per 100,000
> Current total deaths, Sep 27, 22 18,331 or 360.6 per 100,000 – 19th highest
> Residents with at least 1 booster: 42.9% – 11th lowest
> Population, 2021: 5,190,705
South Dakota
> Avg. daily deaths past 7 days, Sep 29, 22 0.4
> Peak avg. daily deaths, Mar 12, 20: 26.3
> Total deaths by peak date, Mar 12, 20: 1,033 or 117.1 per 100,000
> Current total deaths, Sep 29, 22 3,017 or 342.0 per 100,000 – 22nd highest
> Residents with at least 1 booster: 44.5% – 12th lowest
> Population, 2021: 895,376
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Tennessee
> Avg. daily deaths past 7 days, Sep 29, 22 1.6
> Peak avg. daily deaths, May 02, 21: 141.1
> Total deaths by peak date, May 02, 21: 10,405 or 153.7 per 100,000
> Current total deaths, Sep 29, 22 27,647 or 408.4 per 100,000 – 5th highest
> Residents with at least 1 booster: 46.6% – 20th lowest
> Population, 2021: 6,975,218
Texas
> Avg. daily deaths past 7 days, Sep 29, 22 8.0
> Peak avg. daily deaths, Sep 14, 21: 365.6
> Total deaths by peak date, Sep 14, 21: 58,855 or 205.1 per 100,000
> Current total deaths, Sep 29, 22 89,032 or 310.2 per 100,000 – 18th lowest
> Residents with at least 1 booster: 37.4% – 2nd lowest
> Population, 2021: 29,527,941
Utah
> Avg. daily deaths past 7 days, Sep 27, 22 1.7
> Peak avg. daily deaths, Mar 29, 22: 20.1
> Total deaths by peak date, Mar 29, 22: 4,702 or 148.7 per 100,000
> Current total deaths, Sep 27, 22 5,001 or 158.2 per 100,000 – 3rd lowest
> Residents with at least 1 booster: 47.6% – 24th lowest
> Population, 2021: 3,337,975
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Vermont
> Avg. daily deaths past 7 days, Sep 27, 22 0.6
> Peak avg. daily deaths, Jan 26, 22: 4.4
> Total deaths by peak date, Jan 26, 22: 496 or 79.2 per 100,000
> Current total deaths, Sep 27, 22 685 or 109.4 per 100,000 – the lowest
> Residents with at least 1 booster: 63.7% – the highest
> Population, 2021: 645,570
Virginia
> Avg. daily deaths past 7 days, Sep 29, 22 5.1
> Peak avg. daily deaths, Mar 03, 21: 217.0
> Total deaths by peak date, Mar 03, 21: 9,326 or 109.5 per 100,000
> Current total deaths, Sep 29, 22 21,729 or 255.1 per 100,000 – 15th lowest
> Residents with at least 1 booster: 51.4% – 20th highest
> Population, 2021: 8,642,274
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Washington
> Avg. daily deaths past 7 days, Sep 29, 22 4.3
> Peak avg. daily deaths, Jan 28, 22: 50.0
> Total deaths by peak date, Jan 28, 22: 10,580 or 140.4 per 100,000
> Current total deaths, Sep 29, 22 14,245 or 189.0 per 100,000 – 5th lowest
> Residents with at least 1 booster: 56.0% – 10th highest
> Population, 2021: 7,738,692
West Virginia
> Avg. daily deaths past 7 days, Sep 29, 22 1.7
> Peak avg. daily deaths, Feb 04, 21: 36.0
> Total deaths by peak date, Feb 04, 21: 2,676 or 148.2 per 100,000
> Current total deaths, Sep 29, 22 7,379 or 408.6 per 100,000 – 4th highest
> Residents with at least 1 booster: 48.0% – 25th lowest
> Population, 2021: 1,782,959
Wisconsin
> Avg. daily deaths past 7 days, Sep 29, 22 1.3
> Peak avg. daily deaths, Jul 12, 20: 60.7
> Total deaths by peak date, Jul 12, 20: 3,738 or 64.3 per 100,000
> Current total deaths, Sep 29, 22 15,215 or 261.7 per 100,000 – 16th lowest
> Residents with at least 1 booster: 58.7% – 3rd highest
> Population, 2021: 5,895,908
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Wyoming
> Avg. daily deaths past 7 days, Sep 29, 22 0.4
> Peak avg. daily deaths, Nov 18, 21: 14.9
> Total deaths by peak date, Nov 18, 21: 1,347 or 233.2 per 100,000
> Current total deaths, Sep 29, 22 1,891 or 327.3 per 100,000 – 25th highest
> Residents with at least 1 booster: 45.5% – 16th lowest
> Population, 2021: 578,803
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