Special Report
COVID-19: Dalton, GA Metro Area Among the Most Dangerous in America
Published:
The U.S. reported over 1,325,000 new cases of coronavirus over the seven days ending September 14, bringing the total count to more than 40.8 million confirmed cases of COVID-19. There have been more than 655,000 COVID-19-related deaths — the highest death toll of any country.
New cases continue to rise at a steady rate. In the past week, there were an average of 46.1 daily new coronavirus cases per 100,000 Americans — essentially unchanged from the week prior, when there were an average of 47.0 daily new coronavirus cases per 100,000 people.
While new data shows that the risk of contracting COVID-19 is high in almost every part of the country, cities continue to be the sites of major outbreaks and superspreader events. Experts agree that the virus is more likely to spread in group settings where large numbers of people routinely have close contact with one another, such as colleges, nursing homes, bars, and restaurants. Metropolitan areas with a high degree of connectivity between different neighborhoods and a large population may be particularly at-risk.
The Dalton, GA metro area consists of Whitfield County and Murray County. As of September 14, there were 18,819.7 confirmed cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 Dalton residents, the seventh highest rate of all 383 metro areas with available data. For comparison, the U.S. has so far reported 12,636.9 cases per 100,000 Americans nationwide.
The incidence of coronavirus cases depends on a variety of factors and can vary even between neighboring counties. Within the Dalton metro area, Whitfield County has the highest incidence of COVID-19 cases. As of September 14, there were 19,869.1 cases per 100,000 residents in Whitfield County, the most of any county in Dalton, and far greater than the county with the lowest incidence. In Murray County, there were 16,065.9 cases per 100,000 residents — the least of any county in Dalton.
In order to slow the spread of COVID-19, city and county governments have ordered the closure of thousands of consumer-facing businesses. These measures have led to widespread job loss and record unemployment. In the Dalton metro area, unemployment peaked at 20.3% in April 2020. As of May 2021, the metro area’s unemployment rate was 4.2%.
To determine how the incidence of COVID-19 in the Dalton, GA metro area compares to the rest of the country, 24/7 Wall St. compiled and reviewed data from state and local health departments. We ranked metro areas based on the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents.To estimate the incidence of COVID-19 at the metropolitan level, we aggregated data from the county level using boundary definitions from the U.S. Census Bureau. Population data used to adjust case and death totals came from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2019 American Community Survey and are five-year estimates. Unemployment data is from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and is seasonally adjusted.
FIPS | MSA | Population | Confirmed COVID-19 cases as of September 14 | Confirmed COVID-19 cases as of September 14 per 100,000 residents | Cumulative COVID-19 deaths as of September 14 | Cumulative COVID-19 deaths as of September 14 per 100,000 residents |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
19140 | Dalton, GA | 143,961 | 27,093 | 18,819.7 | 378 | 262.6 |
23580 | Gainesville, GA | 198,667 | 33,990 | 17,109.0 | 537 | 270.3 |
40660 | Rome, GA | 97,369 | 16,275 | 16,714.8 | 272 | 279.3 |
46660 | Valdosta, GA | 145,315 | 23,955 | 16,484.9 | 333 | 229.2 |
15260 | Brunswick, GA | 117,400 | 18,718 | 15,943.8 | 350 | 298.1 |
12260 | Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC | 599,616 | 89,960 | 15,002.9 | 1,274 | 212.5 |
47580 | Warner Robins, GA | 180,652 | 26,232 | 14,520.7 | 367 | 203.2 |
12020 | Athens-Clarke County, GA | 208,457 | 30,047 | 14,414.0 | 330 | 158.3 |
31420 | Macon-Bibb County, GA | 229,504 | 32,288 | 14,068.6 | 773 | 336.8 |
12060 | Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta, GA | 5,862,424 | 763,845 | 13,029.5 | 10,067 | 171.7 |
10500 | Albany, GA | 148,436 | 19,151 | 12,901.9 | 551 | 371.2 |
42340 | Savannah, GA | 386,036 | 49,188 | 12,741.8 | 682 | 176.7 |
17980 | Columbus, GA-AL | 319,402 | 38,795 | 12,146.1 | 752 | 235.4 |
25980 | Hinesville, GA | 80,041 | 8,261 | 10,321.0 | 93 | 116.2 |
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