The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (C.D.C.) recently released its latest Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance Report along with new data on the number of reported sexually transmitted disease (STD) cases across U.S. counties and metro areas.

Innerbody.com’s research team analyzed the latest statistics on a city-by-city basis and developed our list of the top 100 cities with the highest STD rates along with key trends. But before we get to the rankings, here are some findings and trends that we observed:

STD rates continue to run rampant in the South. Nearly half of the top 25 cities with the highest STD rates in the South.

California led all states with the most cities in the Top 100 with seven cities. Ohio and Texas tied for the second most cities, both of which had six each. For more information about how individual states stack up in terms of highest and lowest STD rates, check out our recently published State STD Rankings.

The cities with the biggest jump in rankings since last year include:

Columbus, GA up 17 spots from 32nd → 15th Jackson, MS up 13 spots from 15th → 2nd San Francisco, CA up 12 spots from 16th → 4th Milwaukee, WI up 11 spots from 18th → 7th Baltimore, MD up 5 spots from 6th → 1st

In terms of total STD cases (again, including HIV, syphilis, chlamydia, and gonorrhea only), the top five cities are:

Los Angeles, CA (92,401) Chicago, IL (58,322) Houston, TX (36,710) Phoenix, AZ (34,973) Philadelphia, PA (28,866)

We also noticed that three of the top 10 cities are relatively small (Augusta, GA, Killeen TX, and Shreveport, LA), but share one thing in common: they are home to relatively large military bases.

According to the CDC, over 2.4 million combined STD cases were reported across the U.S. in 2018 alone. However, many STDs are asymptomatic, which means they have no obvious symptoms (examples include chlamydia, gonorrhea, and HPV). And other STDs such as HIV and syphilis can be active inside your body before signs of the infection become apparent. Therefore, these statistics do not include the thousands of people who currently have an STD, but do not know it.

As an aside, the CDC stresses that: “If you are sexually active, getting tested for STDs is one of the most important things you can do to protect your health. Make sure you have an open and honest conversation about your sexual history and STD testing with your doctor…” If you are uncomfortable talking with your doctor or just can’t find the time to go get tested, an increasingly popular option is to take an at-home STD test.

Without further ado, here are the Top 100 cities with the highest STD rates:

The Top 20 U.S. Cities with the Highest STD Rates

#1 Baltimore, MD STD Cases / 100K 2,004

Metro Population 602,495

HIV Cases 207

Chlamydia Cases 7,636

Gonorrhea Cases 4,231

Syphilis Cases 210

#2 Jackson, MS STD Cases / 100K 1,872

Metro Population 237,085

HIV Cases 86

Chlamydia Cases 3,057

Gonorrhea Cases 1,330

Syphilis Cases 52

#3 Philadelphia, PA STD Cases / 100K 1,822

Metro Population 1,584,138

HIV Cases 499

Chlamydia Cases 21,119

Gonorrhea Cases 7,288

Syphilis Cases 459

#4 San Francisco, CA STD Cases / 100K 1,754

Metro Population 883,305

HIV Cases 246

Chlamydia Cases 9,137

Gonorrhea Cases 5,775

Syphilis Cases 584

#5 Montgomery, AL STD Cases / 100K 1,731

Metro Population 225,763

HIV Cases 71

Chlamydia Cases 2,828

Gonorrhea Cases 1,045

Syphilis Cases 36

#6 Augusta, GA STD Cases / 100K 1,675

Metro Population 201,554

HIV Cases 59

Chlamydia Cases 2,297

Gonorrhea Cases 1,045

Syphilis Cases 34

#7 Milwaukee, WI STD Cases / 100K 1,657

Metro Population 948,201

HIV Cases 134

Chlamydia Cases 10,928

Gonorrhea Cases 4,706

Syphilis Cases 77

#8 Killeen, TX STD Cases / 100K 1,644

Metro Population 355,642

HIV Cases 52

Chlamydia Cases 4,190

Gonorrhea Cases 1,630

Syphilis Cases 26

#9 Shreveport, LA STD Cases / 100K 1,615

Metro Population 242,922

HIV Cases 80

Chlamydia Cases 2,722

Gonorrhea Cases 1,145

Syphilis Cases 55

#10 Indianapolis, IN STD Cases / 100K 1,613

Metro Population 954,670

HIV Cases 228

Chlamydia Cases 10,536

Gonorrhea Cases 4,691

Syphilis Cases 168

#11 New York (Bronx), NY STD Cases / 100K 1,609

Metro Population 1,432,132

HIV Cases 498

Chlamydia Cases 17,711

Gonorrhea Cases 4,941

Syphilis Cases 388

#12 Fayetteville, NC STD Cases / 100K 1,559

Metro Population 332,330

HIV Cases N/A

Chlamydia Cases 3,646

Gonorrhea Cases 1,486

Syphilis Cases 49

#13 New York (Manhattan), NY STD Cases / 100K 1,542

Metro Population 1,628,701

HIV Cases 393

Chlamydia Cases 16,670

Gonorrhea Cases 7,845

Syphilis Cases 596

#14 Tallahassee, FL STD Cases / 100K 1,502

Metro Population 292,502

HIV Cases 64

Chlamydia Cases 3,342

Gonorrhea Cases 1,031

Syphilis Cases 20

#15 Columbus, GA STD Cases / 100K 1,440

Metro Population 194,160

HIV Cases 81

Chlamydia Cases 1,820

Gonorrhea Cases 955

Syphilis Cases 20

#16 Peoria, IL STD Cases / 100K 1,421

Metro Population 180,621

HIV Cases 8

Chlamydia Cases 1,669

Gonorrhea Cases 891

Syphilis Cases 7

#17 Washington DC STD Cases / 100K 1,393

Metro Population 1,773,266

HIV Cases 630

Chlamydia Cases 17,480

Gonorrhea Cases 6,803

Syphilis Cases 426

#18 Columbia, SC STD Cases / 100K 1,390

Metro Population 414,576

HIV Cases 106

Chlamydia Cases 4,040

Gonorrhea Cases 1,669

Syphilis Cases 55

#19 Denver, CO STD Cases / 100K 1,379

Metro Population 716,492

HIV Cases 153

Chlamydia Cases 6,928

Gonorrhea Cases 2,821

Syphilis Cases 133

#20 Birmingham, AL STD Cases / 100K 1,372

Metro Population 659,300

HIV Cases 141

Chlamydia Cases 6,031

Gonorrhea Cases 2,920

Syphilis Cases 97

Other Cites with High STD rates (rankings: 21 - 100)

Rank Metro Area STD Cases / 100K Metro Population HIV Cases Chlamydia Cases Gonorrhea Cases Syphilis Cases 21 Memphis, TN 1,371 935,764 244 9,003 3,694 135 22 Little Rock, AR 1,357 392,680 112 3,625 1,632 73 23 Macon, GA 1,353 153,095 43 1,525 526 21 24 New Orleans, LA 1,325 825,057 303 7,691 3,056 185 25 Greensboro, NC 1,313 533,670 N/A 4,985 1,907 113 26 Cleveland, OH 1,310 1,243,857 156 11,044 5,097 158 27 Anchorage, AK 1,308 291,538 N/A 2,523 1,282 9 28 Kansas City, MO 1,306 700,307 104 5,856 3,146 146 29 Detroit, MI 1,264 1,753,893 321 15,636 6,349 179 30 Cincinnati, OH 1,263 816,684 191 6,861 3,381 71 31 Baton Rouge, LA 1,251 440,956 170 4,057 1,387 73 32 Richmond, VA 1,231 558,044 103 4,790 2,000 77 33 Waco, TX 1,196 254,607 35 2,125 907 12 34 Savannah, GA 1,181 289,195 79 2,547 804 63 35 Kalamazoo, MI 1,178 264,870 19 2,254 859 8 36 St. Louis, MO 1,194 1,560,842 264 12,409 5,710 249 37 Toledo, OH 1,169 429,899 43 3,303 1,693 28 38 Lubbock, TX 1,129 307,412 35 2,429 991 51 39 Grand Rapids, MI 1,127 173,588 N/A 1,384 568 4 40 Chicago, IL 1,126 5,180,493 898 42,422 14,920 980 41 Charlotte, NC 1,122 1,093,901 270 8,828 3,181 265 42 Lexington, KY 1,107 323,780 41 2,446 1,088 51 43 Atlanta, GA 1,105 2,300,344 1,013 17,244 7,441 740 44 New York (Brooklyn), NY 1,103 2,582,830 637 21,137 6,824 519 45 Jacksonville, FL 1,088 950,181 304 6,925 3,239 170 46 Louisville, KY 1,086 770,517 128 5,445 2,790 129 47 Columbus, OH 1,082 1,310,300 238 9,409 4,444 321 48 Oklahoma City, OK 1,069 792,582 111 5,693 2,606 176 49 Mobile, AL 1,065 413,757 82 3,032 1,327 48 50 Champaign, IL 1,064 209,983 16 1,704 518 13 51 Gainesville, FL 1,057 269,956 53 2,191 618 44 52 Albuquerque, NM 1,049 678,701 31 4,932 2,079 107 53 Bakersfield, CA 1,046 896,764 149 6,866 2,264 251 54 Norfolk, VA 1,038 936,899 159 7,241 2,406 77 55 Newark, NJ 1,022 799,767 303 6,064 2,015 98 56 Austin, TX 1,006 1,248,743 221 8,946 3,306 310 57 Tulsa, OK 991 648,360 69 4,245 2,111 70 58 Springfield, MO 980 291,923 11 2,020 819 22 59 Fresno, CA 979 994,400 158 7,198 2,261 279 60 Dallas, TX 972 2,637,772 814 18,417 6,800 417 61 Pensacola, FL 950 315,534 61 2,124 827 45 62 Rochester, NY 934 742,474 64 4,988 1,891 59 63 Rockford, IL 932 284,081 26 1,980 659 9 64 Orlando, FL 932 1,380,645 507 9,523 3,100 243 65 Omaha, NE 928 566,880 N/A 3,670 1,575 13 66 Flint, MI 922 406,892 34 2,751 981 21 67 Greenville, SC 920 514,213 65 3,162 1,522 47 68 Portland, OR 917 811,880 82 5,198 2,086 159 69 Los Angeles, CA 914 10,105,518 1,527 64,302 26,103 1,996 70 Nashville, TN 914 692,587 127 4,567 1,656 109 71 Columbia, MO 912 180,005 18 1,328 310 4 72 Evansville, IN 901 180,974 N/A 1,174 449 8 73 Minneapolis, MN 900 1,259,428 131 8,156 3,028 152 74 San Antonio, TX 896 1,986,049 358 12,986 4,496 314 75 South Bend, IN 890 270,771 19 1,685 720 6 76 Charleston, SC 882 405,905 81 2,738 793 48 77 Des Moines, IA 876 487,204 30 3,109 1,119 41 78 Sacramento, CA 875 1,540,975 133 9,852 3,342 287 79 Huntsville, AL 871 366,519 43 2,258 880 54 80 Wichita, KS 857 513,607 24 3,049 1,310 42 81 Knoxville, TN 853 465,289 50 2,600 1,333 38 82 Lansing, MI 853 292,735 25 1,902 565 29 83 Dayton, OH 852 532,331 63 3,154 1,346 35 84 Fort Wayne, IN 847 375,351 24 2,238 939 3 85 Yakima, WA 836 251,446 24 1,658 429 15 86 Buffalo, NY 834 919,719 91 5,571 2,039 56 87 Lafayette, IN 825 193,048 8 1,181 401 10 88 Worcester, MA 819 470,406 44 2,740 1,060 54 89 San Diego, CA 819 3,343,364 404 20,832 5,973 585 90 Lafayette, LA 817 242,782 53 1,423 532 28 91 Tacoma, WA 815 891,299 49 5,421 1,774 66 92 Myrtle Beach, SC 814 344,147 70 1,832 944 26 93 Tuscaloosa, AL 804 653,786 46 4,085 1,136 34 94 Akron, OH 802 541,918 43 3,175 1,132 37 95 Riverside, CA 800 2,171,603 210 13,144 3,978 242 96 New York (Queens), NY 799 2,278,906 442 14,421 3,513 267 97 Tucson, AZ 798 1,039,073 115 6,625 1,570 100 98 Albany, NY 797 307,117 34 1,877 519 51 99 Fort Lauderdale, FL 797 1,951,260 681 11,283 3,933 328 100 Chattanooga, TN 794 364,286 37 1,922 928 42 ◀ ▶

How We Collected Data for This Report

All of the STD data found in this report, including case statistics for HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia, are from the C.D.C.’s latest data release from October 2019. Syphilis data includes only primary and secondary syphilis cases and does not include congenital and early latent syphilis cases. HIV cases are not reported for some cities. Statistics for other relatively common STDs, such as herpes, are not collected by the C.D.C. at this time and hence are left out of our analysis. For more information about which statistics the C.D.C. does and does not track, see its STD Data & Statistics page.

All estimated metro area and state population data is from the C.D.C. and the US Census Bureau. For our interactive map, our research team decided to use counties as visual proxies for most metro areas. The C.D.C. does not have STD data for all US counties.

For our “Top 100 Rankings,” we chose to only include city metro areas with an estimated population of 150,000 or more. Though Washington, DC is technically a district, we chose to include it as a city. Also, since New York City is relatively large in size and the C.D.C. breaks down STD cases there by borough, we made the editorial decision to treat each borough as its own metro area for ranking purposes. No statistical testing was used during the production of this research.

Sources

https://www.cdc.gov/std/stats18/default.htm

https://www.cdc.gov/std/chlamydia/default.htm

https://www.cdc.gov/std/gonorrhea/default.htm

https://www.cdc.gov/std/syphilis/default.htm

https://www.cdc.gov/std/hiv/default.htm

https://www.cdc.gov/std/stats17/appendix-c.htm

https://gis.cdc.gov/grasp/nchhstpatlas/tables.html

https://www.census.gov/data/datasets/time-series/demo/popest/2010s-counties-total.html

Additional STD Resources

STD Information:

STD Symptoms & Causes from the Mayo Clinic

STD Guide from Planned Parenthood

STD Awareness for Teens from KidsHealth

STD Testing Resources:

Mayo Clinic: STD Testing Guide

Planned Parenthood: STD Testing

Innerbody: STD Testing At-Home Guide

STD Testing Companies:

LetsGetChecked Review | MyLAB Box Review

STDcheck Review | Everlywell Review

BlueChew Review | BlueChew Free Trial

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