Since the first case of the omicron variant was detected in the U.S., new daily cases of COVID-19 have hit new highs. To date, 81,519,474 Americans are confirmed to have been infected with the virus — and over 1 million have died as a result. On a per capita basis, the U.S. has one of the highest known infections rates in the world.
In the Asheville metropolitan area, located in North Carolina, a total of 97,800 COVID-19 cases have been reported to date. Adjusted for population, there have been 21,736 reported infections for every 100,000 people in the area — below the national rate of 24,917 cases per 100,000 people.
The lower than average per capita COVID-19 infection rate across Asheville is being driven by one area in particular.
The broader Asheville metro area comprises four counties or county equivalents — and of them, Buncombe County in North Carolina has the fewest COVID-19 cases per capita. So far, there have been a total of 54,155 confirmed infections in Buncombe County, or 21,281 for every 100,000 people.
Not only does Buncombe County have the lowest per capita infection rate in the Asheville metro area, it also has a relatively low per capita fatality rate.
There have been a total of 229 coronavirus-related deaths for every 100,000 people in Buncombe County, below the 267 COVID-19 deaths per 100,000 across the entire Asheville metro area.
All COVID-19 data used in this story are current as of May 16, 2022.
| Rank | Geography | COVID cases per 100,000 people | Total cases | Deaths per 100,000 people | Total deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Buncombe County, NC | 21,281 | 54,155 | 229 | 583 |
| 2 | Haywood County, NC | 21,801 | 13,175 | 366 | 221 |
| 3 | Henderson County, NC | 22,252 | 25,284 | 278 | 316 |
| 4 | Madison County, NC | 24,228 | 5,186 | 378 | 81 |
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