Springdale currently has the highest number of active COVID-19 cases, according to state officials.
Arkansas Department of Health Secretary Dr. Nate Smith unveiled a top 10 list of the cities with the most active cases in the state. With 641 active cases as of Thursday, July 9, Springdale took the top spot.
Based on the numbers Smith provided, the cities with the highest number of COVID-19 cases are largely urban areas. Most of the cities fall in the top 10 most populated cities in Arkansas. Little Rock, the city with the highest population, also has the second-highest number of active cases with 414. In addition, Fort Smith, Fayetteville, Springdale, Rogers, Conway and Bentonville are in the top 10 list for highest population and for most active cases.
There were two cities that ranked in the top 20 for population that were in Smith’s list of the top 10 cities for active COVID-19 cases. These cities are Texarkana and Russellville. According to the 2019 Census, Texarkana and Russellville rank no. 14 and no. 15 in population, with 29,657 and 29,175 residents, respectively.
Only one of the cities – Danville – was not in the top 20 most populated cities in Arkansas. Danville has a population of 2,393, putting it at no. 129 in terms of population in the state.
Rogers had the third-highest number of active cases with 256 and Fort Smith was directly below it with 255. Conway was the only other city with more than 200 active cases. Fayetteville has 153 active cases, and Texarkana and Russellville are neck-and-neck with 119 and 116 cases, respectively. Danville has 96 cases while Bentonville has 78.
However, Smith also looked at the number of active cases per 10,000 population. Using this metric, Springdale was not the top city for active cases in Arkansas. Danville had a 397.8 case rate per 10,000 population compared to Springdale’s 79 case rate.
“That also gives us an additional piece of information. So, even though Springdale is at the top of the list in terms of the number of total active cases in the community, it’s really Danville down at number 9 that has the most number of cases per population. What that tells us is those are the chances that if you’re out and about in your community, what are the chances you’re going to encounter someone who has an active case,” he said.
Texarkana had a 40.1 case rate, followed by Russellville’s 39.8 case rate and Roger’s 37.8 case rate. Conway and Fort Smith’s case rate is similar with 30 and 29, respectively. Little Rock had the next highest case rate after Fort Smith with 21 per 10,000 population. Fayetteville and Bentonville closed out the list with 17.5 and 14.2 per 10,000 population each.
“Little Rock, although it’s the second-highest in terms of total active cases in the community, it’s a little toward the bottom in terms of active cases in the community per 10,000 population,” Smith said.
There are approximately 3,017,804 individuals in Arkansas based on the 2019 Census.
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