Availability of the COVID-19 vaccine cannot come fast enough for many large US cities, based on the share in each of the most vulnerable populations.
A recent analysis of which large US cities are in greatest need of initial vaccination coverage ranked the top 5 as: Detroit, Cleveland, Birmingham, Memphis, and Louisville.
The analysis, published in December 2020 by Wallet Hub, compared 93 large US cities* across 13 key indicators including share of population over the age of 65, share of population in nursing homes, and share of population with chronic conditions, eg, obesity, COPD, asthma, and cardiovascular disease. Cites were graded on a 100-point scale, with 100 representing the highest share of population in need of vaccination.
For the 5 cities where population composition may confer a modicum of "protection" and to see how the 93 cities rank on share of population for 9 of the 13 criteria, click through the slides below.
*Wallet Hub selected the largest US cities for which all of the data needed for this analysis was available (Corpus Christi, TX, Anchorage, AK, Lincoln, NE, Fort Wayne, IN, Laredo, TX, Lubbock, TX and Reno, NV were excluded).
Highest Share of Health Care Workers: Boston, MA
Lowest Share of Health Care Workers: Bakersfield, CA
Highest Share of Population Aged ≥65 Years: Scottsdale, AZ
Lowest Share of Population Aged ≥65 Years: Irving, TX
Highest Share of Adults Diagnosed with Chronic Kidney Disease: Detroit, MI
Lowest Share of Adults Diagnosed with Chronic Kidney Disease: Fremont, CA
Highest Share of Adults Diagnosed with Cardiovascular Disease: Cleveland, OH
Lowest Share of Adults Diagnosed with Cardiovascular Disease: Fremont, CA
Highest Share of Adults Diagnosed with Diabetes: Detroit, MI
Lowest Share of Adults Diagnosed with Diabetes: Scottsdale, AZ
Highest Share of Adults Diagnosed with COPD: Detroit, MI
Lowest Share of Adults Diagnosed with COPD: Fremont, CA
Highest Share of Adults Diagnosed with Asthma: Detroit, MI
Lowest Share of Adults Diagnosed with Asthma: Fremont, CA
Highest Share of Adults Diagnosed with Hypertension: Detroit, MI
Lowest Share of Adults Diagnosed with Hypertension: Fremont, CA
Highest Share of Adults with Obesity: Detroit, MD
Lowest Share of Adults with Obesity: San Francisco, CA
Top 5 US Cities with the Highest & Lowest Share of Populations in Urgent Need of COVID-19 Vaccine
