Coronavirus Spreading to the White, Trump-Voting Suburbs

The spread of coronavirus doesn't fit a tidy demographic narrative, according to new analysis by William Frey.

1 minute read

April 23, 2020, 12:00 PM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Social Distancing

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William Frey reports that the demographics of COVID-19 are shifting as the crisis deepens in the United States. The coronavirus spread first to dense urban areas, populated by racial minorities and Democratic voters, but now it is shifting to more suburban, white, Trump-voting areas. 

During the first three weeks of April, new counties showing a high prevalence of COVID-19 cases are more suburban, whiter, and voted more strongly for Donald Trump than counties the virus hit first. These findings result from a new analysis of counties with high COVID-19 prevalence rates (more than 100 confirmed cases per 100,000 population) based on data available from The New York Times and the U.S. Census Bureau.

The article includes maps, infographics, and numerous demographic breakdowns to provide a lot more detail on the ongoing spread of coronavirus across the United States.


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