After adding over 429,000 new cases throughout the last week, the U.S. now has more than 82.9 million confirmed cases of COVID-19. There have been more than 990,000 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 28.4 daily new coronavirus cases per 100,000 Americans — essentially unchanged from the week prior, when there were an average of 31.1 daily new coronavirus cases per 100,000 people.
While COVID-19 has spread to nearly every part of the country, cities continue to be the sites of major outbreaks. 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 neighborhoods and a large population may be particularly at-risk.
In the 50 largest metro areas, the incidence of coronavirus grew at an average rate of 35.0 new cases a day per 100,000 residents in the past week — 30.0% greater than the case growth in all counties outside of metro areas.
The Grand Island, NE, metro area consists of Hall County, Merrick County, and Howard County. In the past week, there were an average of 17.9 new coronavirus cases every day per 100,000 Grand Island residents, less than the national figure. The metro area’s average daily case growth in the most recent week is an increase from the week prior, when there was an average of 11.4 daily new cases per 100,000 Grand Island residents.
The spread of coronavirus depends on a variety of factors and can vary even between neighboring counties. Within the Grand Island metro area, COVID-19 is growing the fastest in Hall County. There were an average of 21.9 new cases per day per 100,000 residents in Hall County during the past week, the most of the three counties in Grand Island with available data.
Case growth in the Grand Island metro area varies at the county level. In Howard County, for example, there were an average of 0.0 new cases per day per 100,000 residents in the past week — the least of any county in Grand Island and more than the case growth rate in Hall County.
Just as Hall County is driving the growth of COVID-19 in the Grand Island area, it also has the highest incidence of cases overall. As of June 1, there were a total of 26,638.4 confirmed cases per 100,000 residents in Hall County, the most of the three counties in the metro area. For comparison, the U.S. has so far reported 25,552.7 cases per 100,000 Americans nationwide.
The pandemic has led to the closure of thousands of consumer-facing businesses around the country. These changes have led to widespread job loss and record unemployment. In Hall County, unemployment peaked at 11.9% in April 2020. As of June 2021, the county’s unemployment rate was 3.0%.
To determine the county in every metropolitan area where COVID-19 is growing the fastest, 24/7 Wall St. compiled and reviewed data from state and local health departments. We ranked counties according to the average number of new daily COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents in the seven days ending June 1. To estimate the incidence of COVID-19 at the metropolitan level, we aggregated data up 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 not seasonally adjusted.
| Rank in MSA | County | Population | New daily cases per 100,000, week ending June 1 | New daily cases per 100,000, week ending May 25 | Cumulative cases per 100,000 | Cumulative deaths per 100,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hall County | 61,265 | 21.9 | 13.3 | 26,638.4 | 228.5 |
| 2 | Merrick County | 7,798 | 2.4 | 4.7 | 22,121.1 | 218.0 |
| 3 | Howard County | 6,417 | 0.0 | 2.2 | 18,373.1 | 233.8 |
Take This Retirement Quiz To Get Matched With A Financial Advisor (Sponsored)
Take the quiz below to get matched with a financial advisor today.
Each advisor has been vetted by SmartAsset and is held to a fiduciary standard to act in your best interests.
Here’s how it works:
1. Answer SmartAsset advisor match quiz
2. Review your pre-screened matches at your leisure. Check out the
advisors’ profiles.
3. Speak with advisors at no cost to you. Have an introductory call on the phone or introduction in person and choose whom to work with in the future
Take the retirement quiz right here.
Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.
Editors' Picks
