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Is Your State Doing Enough Coronavirus Testing?Skip to Comments
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Is Your State Doing Enough Coronavirus Testing?

This page is no longer being updated. To see current testing levels in your area, follow the link to your state from the STATES menu above the headline.

The number of daily coronavirus tests being conducted in the United States is 52 percent of the level considered necessary to mitigate the spread of the virus, as many states struggle to increase testing.

9
states* meet the testing target
5
states are near the target
37
states are far below the target
AlaskaAla.Ark.Ariz.Calif.Colo.Conn.D.C.Del.Fla.Ga.HawaiiIowaIdahoIll.Ind.Kan.Ky.La.Mass.Md.MaineMich.Minn.Mo.Miss.Mont.N.C.N.D.Neb.N.H.N.J.N.M.Nev.N.Y.OhioOkla.Ore.Pa.R.I.S.C.S.D.Tenn.TexasUtahVa.Vt.Wash.Wis.W.Va.Wyo.
*Includes 8 states and Washington, D.C. States within 20 percent of the testing target are considered “near” the target.

An average of 1,193,000 tests per day were performed over the past week, according to data collected by the Covid Tracking Project, well below the current nationwide target of 2.3 million daily tests. The target, which is based on a methodology developed by researchers at the Harvard Global Health Institute, is different for each state and varies over time as infection rates change.

The figures for some states, marked with an asterisk (*) below, indicate one test reported for each individual tested, even if that person is tested more than once. The figures for the other states indicate the total number of specimens tested, including when an individual is tested more than once, which can lead to higher reported test numbers and lower positivity rates.

How each state’s current testing measures up

Average daily testing and hospitalizations in the last two weeks

Daily tests
per 100,000
Daily tests
per 100k
Percentage of
testing target
Percentage
of target
Positive
test rate
Positive
rate
Hospitalized
per 100,000
Hospital
per 100k
United States U.S.
363
363
52Target
52Target
6%
13
13
South Dakota* S.D.
251
251
8
8
45%
42
42
Iowa* Iowa
146
146
10
10
31%
18
18
Wyoming* Wyo.
163
163
11
11
36%
16
16
Idaho* Idaho
143
143
11
11
34%
14
14
Kansas* Kan.
131
131
13
13
27%
14
14
Alabama Ala.
144
144
16
16
22%
19
19
Montana Mont.
472
472
18
18
15%
34
34
Wisconsin Wis.
534
534
20
20
15%
23
23
Texas Texas
220
220
28
28
9%
18
18
Tennessee Tenn.
358
358
29
29
10%
20
20
Missouri Mo.
291
291
30
30
12%
24
24
Arizona* Ariz.
152
152
30
30
11%
11
11
Mississippi Miss.
205
205
31
31
12%
23
23
Kentucky Ky.
353
353
32
32
10%
20
20
Oklahoma Okla.
332
332
32
32
9%
22
22
Utah Utah
324
324
33
33
15%
10
10
North Dakota N.D.
1,012
1,012
33
33
12%
35
35
Nebraska Neb.
567
567
33
33
9%
23
23
Nevada Nev.
252
252
33
33
10%
17
17
Indiana Ind.
455
455
34
34
8%
24
24
Minnesota Minn.
439
439
34
34
8%
11
11
Pennsylvania* Pa.
124
124
34
34
12%
9
9
Arkansas Ark.
310
310
37
37
10%
21
21
Ohio Ohio
382
382
40
40
6%
12
12
Georgia Ga.
192
192
40
40
8%
16
16
Alaska Alaska
698
698
41
41
7%
9
9
South Carolina S.C.
314
314
49
49
6%
15
15
Oregon* Ore.
140
140
49
49
7%
5
5
West Virginia W.Va.
425
425
58
58
4%
12
12
New Mexico N.M.
429
429
58
58
8%
13
13
Louisiana* La.
293
293
59
59
5%
13
13
North Carolina N.C.
326
326
61
61
6%
11
11
Illinois Ill.
584
584
68
68
7%
21
21
Florida Fla.
330
330
69
69
5%
11
11
Colorado Colo.
418
418
70
70
7%
11
11
Virginia Va.
218
218
78
78
6%
12
12
Delaware Del.
401
401
79
79
4%
10
10
California Calif.
335
335
84
84
3%
8
8
New Jersey N.J.
418
418
86
86
4%
11
11
Maryland Md.
441
441
93
93
3%
8
8
Washington Wash.
248
248
101
101
4%
4
4
Michigan Mich.
458
458
102
102
6%
13
13
Hawaii Hawaii
286
286
137
137
2%
5
5
Connecticut Conn.
643
643
145
145
3%
8
8
New Hampshire N.H.
410
410
157
157
2%
2
2
Washington, D.C. D.C.
592
592
159
159
2%
14
14
Massachusetts Mass.
1,033
1,033
159
159
2%
8
8
Rhode Island R.I.
1,206
1,206
169
169
3%
14
14
New York N.Y.
652
652
221
221
1%
5
5
Maine Maine
477
477
357
357
1%
1
1
Vermont Vt.
654
654
1415
1415
<1%
1
1
Note: Positive test rates and percentages of targets are calculated using cumulative figures from the last 14 days. All other values are 14-day rolling averages. Trendlines for daily tests and hospitalizations show averages for the last two weeks.

Testing operations in the United States were delayed at the start of the outbreak after tests developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were found to be faulty. Since then, testing levels have steadily increased across the country, but many states have struggled to stay ahead of new outbreaks as overwhelmed labs report processing delays and shortages of crucial testing supplies. The resulting backlog can leave sick people undiagnosed, with the potential to further spread the virus as states reopen.

The Harvard researchers say that at minimum there should be enough daily capacity to test anyone who has flu-like symptoms and an additional 10 people for any symptomatic person who tests positive for the virus. That level of testing — which, according to researchers, is the minimum necessary to mitigate the disease — would require a significant increase over the number of daily tests currently being performed. Their estimates for the testing required to suppress the spread of the virus are much higher.

Aside from current testing levels, another important indicator of a state’s testing performance is its positive test rate, which is the percent of tests that come back positive. Lower rates suggest that testing is more widespread and that it is not limited to those with severe symptoms. Positive rates should be at or below 5 percent for at least 14 days before a state or country can safely reopen, according to the World Health Organization. In the United States, the current positive rate is 6 percent.

Where testing is far below recommended levels

Most states remain far from the minimum level of testing needed to reduce the spread of the virus.

Rate of testing compared to target

States are ordered by current testing shortfall

South Dakota
S.D.
0 100% of target 8 -->
Aug. 3
Nov. 1
0 100% of target 8 -->
Aug. 3
Nov. 1
Iowa
Iowa
10 -->
10 -->
Wyoming
Wyo.
11 -->
11 -->
Idaho
Idaho
11 -->
11 -->
Kansas
Kan.
13 -->
13 -->
Alabama
Ala.
16 -->
16 -->
Montana
Mont.
18 -->
18 -->
Wisconsin
Wis.
20 -->
20 -->
Texas
Texas
28 -->
28 -->
Tennessee
Tenn.
29 -->
29 -->
Missouri
Mo.
30 -->
30 -->
Arizona
Ariz.
30 -->
30 -->
Mississippi
Miss.
31 -->
31 -->
Kentucky
Ky.
32 -->
32 -->
Oklahoma
Okla.
32 -->
32 -->
Utah
Utah
33 -->
33 -->
North Dakota
N.D.
33 -->
33 -->
Nebraska
Neb.
33 -->
33 -->
Nevada
Nev.
33 -->
33 -->
Indiana
Ind.
34 -->
34 -->
Minnesota
Minn.
34 -->
34 -->
Pennsylvania
Pa.
34 -->
34 -->
Arkansas
Ark.
37 -->
37 -->
Ohio
Ohio
40 -->
40 -->
Georgia
Ga.
40 -->
40 -->
Alaska
Alaska
41 -->
41 -->
South Carolina
S.C.
49 -->
49 -->
Oregon
Ore.
49 -->
49 -->
West Virginia
W.Va.
58 -->
58 -->
New Mexico
N.M.
58 -->
58 -->
Louisiana
La.
59 -->
59 -->
North Carolina
N.C.
61 -->
61 -->
Illinois
Ill.
68 -->
68 -->
Florida
Fla.
69 -->
69 -->
Colorado
Colo.
70 -->
70 -->
Virginia
Va.
78 -->
78 -->
Delaware
Del.
79 -->
79 -->

Where testing is above or near recommended levels

Over time, some states have reached the minimum testing target, and a few have exceeded it.

Rate of testing compared to target

States are ordered by current testing levels

Maine
Maine
0 100% of target 357 -->
Aug. 3
Nov. 1
0 100% of target 357 -->
Aug. 3
Nov. 1
New York
N.Y.
221 -->
221 -->
Rhode Island
R.I.
169 -->
169 -->
Massachusetts
Mass.
159 -->
159 -->
Washington, D.C.
D.C.
159 -->
159 -->
New Hampshire
N.H.
157 -->
157 -->
Connecticut
Conn.
145 -->
145 -->
Hawaii
Hawaii
137 -->
137 -->
Michigan
Mich.
102 -->
102 -->
Washington
Wash.
101 -->
101 -->
Maryland
Md.
93 -->
93 -->
New Jersey
N.J.
86 -->
86 -->
California
Calif.
84 -->
84 -->
Note: States with fewer than 2,000 total cases are not shown.

Tracking the Coronavirus