As Emergency Ends, a Look at Covid’s U.S. Death Toll
Since the coronavirus pandemic began more than three years ago, the United States has suffered wave after wave of loss. The expiration of the federal declaration of the Covid-19 public health emergency on Thursday signals a new outlook on the disease, and it presents a moment to look back at the toll the virus has taken.
This map shows where people have died of Covid at the highest rates. Few places were left untouched.
Covid-19 deaths per 100,000 people
Wash.
250
375
500
625
740
Maine
Mont.
N.D.
Ore.
Vt.
Minn.
N.H.
Idaho
Mass.
S.D.
N.Y.
Wis.
Mich.
Wyo.
R.I.
Conn.
Pa.
Iowa
N.J.
Neb.
Nev.
Ohio
Ind.
Md.
Ill.
Utah
Del.
Colo.
W.Va.
Va.
Calif.
Mo.
Kan.
Ky.
N.C.
Tenn.
Okla.
S.C.
Ark.
N.M.
Ariz.
Ga.
Ala.
Miss.
Texas
La.
Alaska
Fla.
Hawaii
Covid-19 deaths per 100,000 people
250
375
500
625
740
Wash.
Maine
Mont.
N.D.
Ore.
Vt.
Minn.
N.H.
Idaho
Mass.
S.D.
N.Y.
Wis.
Mich.
R.I.
Wyo.
Conn.
Pa.
Iowa
N.J.
Neb.
Nev.
Ohio
Ind.
Md.
Ill.
Del.
Utah
Colo.
W.Va.
Va.
Calif.
Mo.
Kan.
Ky.
N.C.
Tenn.
Okla.
S.C.
Ark.
Ariz.
N.M.
Ga.
Ala.
Miss.
Texas
La.
Alaska
Fla.
Hawaii
Covid-19 deaths per 100,000 people
250
375
500
625
740
Wash.
Maine
Mont.
N.D.
Vt.
Ore.
Minn.
N.H.
Idaho
Mass.
S.D.
N.Y.
Wis.
Mich.
R.I.
Wyo.
Conn.
Pa.
Iowa
N.J.
Neb.
Nev.
Ohio
Ind.
Md.
Ill.
Del.
Utah
Colo.
W.Va.
Va.
Calif.
Mo.
Kan.
Ky.
N.C.
Tenn.
Okla.
S.C.
Ark.
Ariz.
N.M.
Ga.
Ala.
Miss.
Texas
La.
Alaska
Fla.
Hawaii
Note: Data as of May 10, 2023, through the week ending May 3, 2023.
The pace of deaths has slowed greatly since early last year, but the toll has continued to climb. More than 1.1 million people have died.
1,131,729 dead
As of May 3, 2023
1,100,000
1,000,000
900,000
All U.S. adults
eligible for vaccine
800,000
700,000
600,000
First report of
a U.S. death on
Feb. 29
First vaccines
administered
in Dec. 2020
500,000
400,000
300,000
200,000
100,000
deaths
13
weeks
17
weeks
12
weeks
5
5
15
weeks
16
weeks
11
weeks
8
weeks
14
weeks
36
weeks
May
2020
Sept
2020
Dec.
2020
Jan.
2021
Feb.
2021
Dec.
2021
Feb.
2022
May
2022
June
2021
Sept.
2021
Jan.
2023
First report of
a U.S. death on
Feb. 29
13 weeks
May
2020
100,000 deaths
17 weeks
Sept
2020
200,000
12 weeks
First vaccines
administered
in Dec. 2020
Dec.
2020
300,000
5 weeks
Jan.
2021
400,000
5 weeks
Feb.
2021
500,000
15 weeks
All U.S. adults
eligible for vaccine
June
2021
600,000
16 weeks
Sept.
2021
700,000
11 weeks
Dec.
2021
800,000
8 weeks
Feb.
2022
900,000
14 weeks
May
2022
1,000,000
36 weeks
Jan.
2023
1,100,000
1,131,729 dead
As of May 3, 2023
First report of
a U.S. death on
Feb. 29
13 weeks
May
2020
100,000 deaths
17 weeks
Sept
2020
First vaccines
administered
in Dec. 2020
200,000
12 weeks
Dec.
2020
300,000
5 weeks
Jan.
2021
400,000
5 weeks
Feb.
2021
500,000
15 weeks
All U.S. adults
eligible for
vaccine
June
2021
600,000
16 weeks
Sept.
2021
700,000
11 weeks
Dec.
2021
800,000
8 weeks
Feb.
2022
900,000
14 weeks
May
2022
1,000,000
36 weeks
Jan.
2023
1,100,000
1,131,729 dead
As of May 3, 2023
While deaths are at the lowest level since March 2020, Covid still takes the lives of a thousand people every week.
Deaths peaked before
widespread vaccination
25 thousand deaths per week
23,629 deaths
20
15
Week ending
May 3
10
1,109 deaths
5
2020
2022
2023
2021
Deaths peaked before
widespread vaccination
25 thousand deaths per week
23,629 deaths
20
15
10
Week ending May 3
1,109 deaths
5
2022
2020
2021
2023
And the disease remains among the leading causes of death in the United States.
2021
2022
2023
2020
1
1
1
1
Heart disease
2
2
2
2
Cancer
*
3
3
Accidents
3
Stroke
3
4
4
4
Chronic respiratory
diseases
4
5
5
5
Alzheimer’s disease
5
6
6
6
Diabetes
6
7
7
7
Covid-19
7
8
8
8
2020
2021
2022
2023
1
1
1
1
Heart disease
Cancer
2
2
2
2
3
3
3
Accidents
*
3
Stroke
4
4
4
Chronic respiratory
diseases
4
5
5
5
Alzheimer’s disease
5
6
6
6
Diabetes
6
7
7
7
7
Covid-19
8
8
8
Note: *Accidents (unintentional injuries) were the third leading cause of death in 2022 but are not included in the 2023 preliminary ranking because injury-related causes of death are publicly released with a lag of six months from the date of death. Data for 2022 and 2023 is provisional.