Special Report

This is the City in Missouri With the Most COVID-19 Cases

Handout / Getty Images News via Getty Images

The U.S. has reported more than 86.4 million confirmed COVID-19 cases as of July 5. More than 1,007,000 Americans have died of COVID-19 — the highest death toll of any country.

Nationwide, there were an average of 33.4 daily new coronavirus cases per 100,000 Americans in the week ending July 5. Cumulatively, the U.S. has reported 26,332.5 cases per 100,000 Americans, and 307.0 deaths per 100,000 Americans.

In Missouri, there were an average of 26.8 daily new coronavirus cases per 100,000 residents in the week ending July 5. Cumulatively, Missouri has reported 24,379.9 cases per 100,000 state residents, the 11th fewest of all 50 states. Missouri has reported 337.6 deaths per 100,000, the 21st most of all 50 states.

While the nation’s largest metropolitan areas were hit hardest in the early months of the pandemic, nearly every city has suffered from the virus. Outbreaks are particularly likely to occur in places where large numbers of people tend to congregate, leaving cities with high concentrations of colleges, correctional facilities, and nursing homes particularly at risk.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, the St. Joseph metropolitan area has reported 34,762 confirmed cases, or 27,551.1 per 100,000 residents — the most of any city in Missouri.

Joplin, the city with the second most cases per capita, has reported 26,856.8 cases per 100,000 residents.

The coronavirus crisis has led to widespread unemployment across the country as consumer-facing businesses are forced to close and customers are encouraged to stay home. Unemployment in St. Joseph peaked at 7.5% in April 2020, and is now at 2.8% as of November 2021.

To determine the metropolitan area in each state with the highest number of COVID-19 cases per capita, 24/7 Wall St. compiled and reviewed data from state and local health departments. We ranked metropolitan areas according to the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents as of July 5. Data was aggregated from the county level to the metropolitan area 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.

These are all the counties in Missouri where COVID-19 is slowing (and where it’s still getting worse).

MSA Population Total cases Cases per 100,000 Total deaths Deaths per 100,000
St. Joseph, MO-KS 126,173 34,762 27,551.1 461 365.4
Joplin, MO 178,100 47,832 26,856.8 751 421.7
Jefferson City, MO 151,273 40,405 26,710.0 527 348.4
Kansas City, MO-KS 2,124,518 548,062 25,797.0 5,917 278.5
Columbia, MO 205,369 52,579 25,602.2 366 178.2
St. Louis, MO-IL 2,805,190 710,470 25,327.0 8,444 301.0
Springfield, MO 462,434 116,333 25,156.7 1,643 355.3
Cape Girardeau, MO-IL 96,976 23,490 24,222.5 304 313.5

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