Research Alert: March 29, 2023

COVID-19 Vaccination Rates

Lagging COVID-19 vaccination rates in nonmetropolitan areas of the United States have been long observed, with noncore counties having the lowest rates. Vaccines were first made available to select populations in December 2020, with eligibility extended to general, younger populations over the next seven months. This report shows that COVID-19 vaccination rates in noncore and micropolitan counties continue to lag that in metropolitan counties.

Key Findings:

• In December 2022, the proportion of the population ages 12+ with a completed primary COVID-19 vaccination (i.e., have second dose of a two-dose vaccine or one dose of a single-dose vaccine) was 75.5 percent in metropolitan counties, 60.9 percent in micropolitan counties, and 56.8 percent in noncore counties.
• The same geographic pattern of vaccination rates exists across all reported age categories.
• The vaccination rate in all geographies and across all age groups has been nearly unchanged for over six months.

Additional Resources of Interest:

• More information about the Rapid Response to Requests for Rural Data Analysis
• More information about the RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
• More information from the Rural Health Information Hub's topic guide: COVID-19