110M STD cases in U.S.; under-25 most at risk Chlamydia, gonorrhea rates highest mostly in Southeast

A couple dances on the beach at South Padre Island, Texas, during Spring Break. Texas has the 11th highest STD rate in the country. Full list follows. A couple dances on the beach at South Padre Island, Texas, during Spring Break. Texas has the 11th highest STD rate in the country. Full list follows. Photo: Joe Raedle, Getty Images Photo: Joe Raedle, Getty Images Image 1 of / 15 Caption Close 110M STD cases in U.S.; under-25 most at risk 1 / 15 Back to Gallery

Obviously you shouldn't have unprotected casual sex, but it you do, you might want to

avoid the Deep South.

Especially if you're between the ages of 15 and 24.

According to new 2013 figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on

sexually transmitted diseases, eight of the 11 states with the highest rates of chlamydia,

gonorrhea and syphilis cases were in the Southeast. (The CDC did not release new statistics

for HIV/AIDS.)

California ranked 22, with 549 cases per 100,000 residents.

In the United States, 20 million cases of new sexually transmitted infections occur every

year from just eight viruses and bacteria, according to the CDC. What's worse is that,

because many people don't realize they're infected, the number of existing infections in

the U.S. at any given time is much greater -- about 110 million, the CDC estimates.

Fifty percent of new infections occurs in young people, 15-24, despite the fact that this

group represents only a quarter of people who have had sex.

Why is the South a hotspot for sexually transmitted diseases?

Probably two reasons, poverty and education.

For example, in Lousiana, the state with the second highest rate of STDs, 17.9 percent of

people were living below the poverty line in 2011, according to the National Coalition of

STD Directors. That year, Lousiana was ranked as the unhealthiest state in the country.

In 2014, Louisiana had the fourth highest number of households with annual earnings less than $25,000.

Louisiana does not require sex education, and if local school districts decide if they do

want to teach it, abstinence must be stressed over contraceptives. In fact, teaching about

contraceptives isn't mandated at all.

Here are the states with the highest rates of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis. Included are whether they require sex education and their respective ranking in Wallethub's list of 2014's richest and poorest states.