State rankings

Spanish Flu Deaths by State

Pennsylvania has the highest Deaths in 1918 (60,000), followed by Georgia (30,768) and Illinois (23,500). Wyoming has the lowest (780).

HealthHistory50 states · 2 metricsUpdated Mar 17, 2023Original page
51 sources
Deaths in 1918Better directionWhether a higher or a lower value is better. A green arrow means higher is better, a red arrow means lower is better, and no arrow means neither.More in the glossary →
49 of 51 states
Compare this metricAdd to combined rankingOpen full map

Deaths in 1918

Green is better, red is worse (lower is better). Click a place to highlight it.

Loading map…

All 49 ranked

Best first.

Distribution Median and middle halfThe median is the middle value: half of places are above it, half below. The middle half is the range holding the central 50% of places.More in the glossary →

Each dot is one state; the lines mark the median and the middle half.

Median
4,794
Middle half 2,300 – 9,000
Average
7,880
49 states
Lowest (best)
780
Wyoming
Highest (worst)
60,000
Pennsylvania

Data

Click a column to sort, a row to highlight that place on the charts.

50 states · # = rank by Deaths in 1918
#
1Wyoming780—
2New Mexico1,000—
3Delaware1,500Some sources place totals as high as 2,000.
4Michigan1,688—
5Vermont1,700—
6South Dakota1,847—
7Arizona2,0002,000 is considered the minumum count, as many deaths are believed to have gone uncounted.
7Nevada2,000—
9Texas2,100—
10Alaska2,198—
11Kansas2,300—
11Idaho2,300—
11Hawaii2,300—
14Rhode Island2,306—
15New Hampshire2,700—
16Nebraska2,800Actual estimates range from 2,800 to 7,500, as Nebraska’s reporting capacity was significantly compromised.
17West Virginia2,818—
18Washington2,895—
19Utah2,915—
20North Dakota3,000—
21Ohio3,600—
22Oregon3,675—
23Florida4,000—
24Maryland4,125—
25Massachusetts4,794—
26Maine5,000—
26Montana5,000—
28Louisiana5,500—
29Iowa6,000—
30Mississippi6,219—
31Arkansas7,000—
32Oklahoma7,500—
33Tennessee7,721—
34Colorado7,783—
35Wisconsin8,459—
36New Jersey8,477—
37Connecticut9,000—
38Kentucky9,461—
39Indiana10,000—
39Minnesota10,000—
41North Carolina13,700—
42South Carolina14,250—
43Missouri15,000—
44Virginia15,679—
45California16,773—
46New York20,000—
47Illinois23,500—
48Georgia30,768—
49Pennsylvania60,000—
—Alabama—Total death toll is unrecorded, but known to be very high. Authorities found it impossible to count the number of dead, as cases erupted too quickly for accurate record-keeping

What correlates with Deaths in 1918?

Pearson r against 2,102 other state metrics sharing at least 30 states. Ranks are read by standing: a better rank counts as higher, whether rank 1 is the best place on a list or the worst. Correlation is not causation.

Higher together

Places that have a higher Deaths in 1918 tend to score higher on these (or rank better)

  1. # of MeetingsQuakers by State
    r = +0.71 · very strong · n = 49
    Plot
  2. Autism Rate Females - Age 0-14Autism Rates by State
    r = +0.70 · strong · n = 49
    Plot
  3. Autism Rate Males - Age 0-14Autism Rates by State
    r = +0.69 · strong · n = 49
    Plot
  4. Autism Prevalence - Age 0-14Autism Rates by State
    r = +0.69 · strong · n = 49
    Plot
  5. WWI CasualtiesWWI Casualties by State
    r = +0.67 · strong · n = 49
    Plot
  6. Autism Prevalence - MalesAutism Rates by State
    r = +0.66 · strong · n = 49
    Plot

Opposite directions

Places that have a higher Deaths in 1918 tend to score lower on these (or rank worse)

  1. FTE Convictions RankMost Corrupt StatesA rank: rank 1 is the worst
    r = −0.52 · strong · n = 49
    Plot
  2. Minimum Passing MPRE ScoreMPRE Scores by State
    r = −0.43 · moderate · n = 48
    Plot
  3. FTE Reporter RankMost Corrupt StatesA rank: rank 1 is the worst
    r = −0.41 · moderate · n = 48
    Plot
  4. Off Grid Via Kuhl Safety ScoreOff-Grid Living Legal States
    r = −0.39 · moderate · n = 49
    Plot
  5. Obesity Rate - Native American and AlaskanMost Obese States
    r = −0.38 · moderate · n = 45
    Plot
  6. Total ScoreBest States to Homeschool
    r = −0.37 · moderate · n = 49
    Plot

Quick answers

Which state has the highest Deaths in 1918?
Pennsylvania has the highest Deaths in 1918, at 60,000, followed by Georgia (30,768) and Illinois (23,500).
Which state has the lowest Deaths in 1918?
Wyoming has the lowest Deaths in 1918, at 780.
What is the median Deaths in 1918 across US states?
The median is 4,794 across the 49 US states with data.
Where does this spanish flu deaths by state data come from?
Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: Statista; AL; Alaska Division of Public Health; Az Central.