What state has the lowest STD rate?

Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine consistently rank as having some of the lowest overall STD infection rates in the U.S., often cited by health studies and CDC data, due to factors like higher income, lower uninsured rates, and less ethnic diversity in the New England region, though rates vary by specific infection like chlamydia or syphilis.

What state has the lowest STD rates?

In the United States, there is an enormous variance in the prevalence of STDs by location. For some diseases an STD can be 100 times more likely in one state than another. Overall, places like Alaska, Mississippi and Louisiana have the highest STD rates, while West Virginia, Vermont and New Hampshire have the lowest.

What is the #1 STD city in America?

There isn't one single "number 1" STD city, as rankings vary by study and year, but Detroit, MI led recent Innerbody Research studies (2025) for overall STIs in metro areas, while Memphis, TN topped earlier reports for city rates. Other cities consistently high on lists include Jackson, MS; Columbia, SC; and Philadelphia, PA, with rates often tied to specific infections like chlamydia, gonorrhea, or syphilis. 

What countries have the lowest STD rates?

There isn't one single "lowest STD rate country" due to varying reporting and definitions, but countries like Finland (lowest disability-adjusted life years rate) and nations in Southeast Asia like Singapore, Philippines, and Brunei often show low rates, while countries like Belgium also report low age-standardized incidence rates; good testing, awareness, and access to care help keep rates down.
 

What STDs do 90% of people have?

The most common STI in the US is the human papillomavirus or HPV. At any given time, about 80% of sexually active people are estimated to be infected, including 42% of adults 18 to 59 years. Of those infected, 7% will have oral HPV, and roughly 14 million new cases of this condition are estimated to be reported yearly.

States with Highest STDs

What race carries most STDs?

Black or African American individuals consistently show the highest rates for many STDs, including chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis, compared to other racial/ethnic groups in the U.S., though American Indian/Alaska Natives have high syphilis rates; these disparities are linked to complex factors like poverty, healthcare access, and social determinants, not race itself.
 

What's the worst STD to catch?

There isn't one single "worst" STD, as severity depends on complications, but HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis B & C, and untreated bacterial infections like Syphilis (leading to blindness, paralysis) and Gonorrhea/Chlamydia (causing infertility/PID) are extremely serious due to long-term damage or mortality. Untreated, some cause severe liver disease (Hep C) or crippling immune system damage (HIV), while others can lead to cancer (HPV) or devastating reproductive issues. 

What is the #1 STD in the US?

Of the STDs tracked by the CDC, chlamydia makes up the largest proportion of cases in the US, with over 1.6 million cases (496 cases per 100,000 people) reported to the CDC in 2021.

What state is #1 in chlamydia?

Recent CDC STI surveillance data shows that nationally Louisiana ranks #1 for chlamydia, #2 for gonorrhea and #8 for syphilis.

What is the STI rate in Detroit?

Detroit is at the center of the nation's sexually transmitted infection (STI) conversation. The metro area led all others across the country in 2023 with 1,491 reported STIs per 100,000 people, according to an analysis of national data conducted by Innerbody, a California-based research company.

What is the fastest growing STD in the United States?

Primary and secondary syphilis infections have seen the most dramatic increase, with total national rates at their highest since 1993. From 2014–2016, syphilis rates increased by 24.5% among adolescents aged 15–19 years and 25.4% among adolescents aged 20–24 years.

What STD is Texas known for?

Chlamydia and gonorrhea are the most common sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in Texas and across the U.S. STDs can infect both men and women and are especially common in youth ages 15-24. STD infection often causes no symptoms.

Where is the most common place to get chlamydia?

Chlamydia is spread through vaginal fluid and semen. It can pass from person to person by having vaginal, oral or anal sex without a condom. If you have chlamydia when you're pregnant, it can pass to your baby during birth. There are some things you can do to avoid getting chlamydia and spreading it to others.

Are STD rates declining?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Sept. 24 released its annual report on national sexually transmitted disease data, reporting a 9% decline in STD cases in 2024 compared to 2023.

What STD does 90% of the population have?

The human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common STI in the United States. There are more than 40 different strands of HPV and many do not cause any health problems. In 90% of cases, the body's immune system clears the infection naturally within two years.

What state has the worst STD rate?

Which State Has the Highest STD Rate? The state with the highest STD rate is Mississippi, with a rate of 1,291.4 STD cases per 100,000 state residents. The STD rates by state range from Mississippi's high of 1,291.4 to Vermont's low STD rate of 201.8 cases per 100,000 residents.

What age group has the most STDs?

The age group with the most STDs in the U.S. is young people aged 15 to 24, who account for half of all new infections despite being only a quarter of the sexually active population, especially among young women for infections like chlamydia. However, rates are also rapidly rising among older adults (55+) due to decreased condom use and other factors. 

What's the easiest STD to catch?

The easiest STD to catch is Human Papillomavirus (HPV), as it's the most common STI, spreads easily through skin-to-skin contact (even without intercourse), often has no symptoms, and can be transmitted during vaginal, anal, or oral sex, with many types cleared by the immune system but others leading to warts or cancer. Other highly transmissible STDs include Herpes and Chlamydia, especially through skin contact or receptive anal sex. 

What race has the highest rate for STDs?

In fact, Black females are 8.7 times more likely to contract chlamydia and 20.5 times more likely to contract gonorrhea than are White females. The rate of STIs in the Hispanic population is also high, with Hispanics twice as likely to acquire chlamydia and gonorrhea as Whites.

Why are STDs on the rise?

STDs are rising due to a mix of public health failures (funding cuts, less testing), behavioral shifts (less condom use, dating apps enabling more partners, increased sexual activity in older adults), and systemic issues like stigma, poor sex education, and disparities in healthcare access, all leading to more undiagnosed infections spreading, notes sources from the American Medical Association, the CDC via Statista, Child Trends, Baptist Health, the NIH, Family Health Centers of San Diego, UW Medicine, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, NPR, Jamaica Hospital, the Cleveland Clinic, and the World Health Organization. 

What STDs can be transmitted through kissing?

Yes, some STDs can be transmitted through deep, open-mouthed kissing, primarily Herpes (HSV-1) and Syphilis, due to direct contact with sores or lesions, and also Cytomegalovirus (CMV), Gonorrhea, and Chlamydia, which can spread via saliva or mucous membranes, though transmission is generally low risk compared to sexual contact. HPV (causing oral warts) and Epstein-Barr Virus (Mono) also spread via saliva.
 

What STD is irreversible?

"Irreversible" STDs usually refer to viral infections like HIV, Herpes (HSV), Hepatitis B, and some strains of HPV, which stay in the body for life but are manageable with treatment to prevent severe complications like AIDS, liver cancer, or severe outbreaks, while other STDs (bacterial/parasitic) are curable with antibiotics if caught early, but can cause irreversible damage if untreated, like syphilis. 

What is the most unnoticeable STD?

What STDs can have no symptoms?

• Chlamydia. Chlamydia is a very common STD that infects both men and women, often with no symptoms. ...
• Gonorrhea. Gonorrhea can infect the genitals, throat, or rectum and is especially common among young people (ages 15-24). ...
• HIV. ...
• Herpes. ...
• Trichomoniasis. ...
• HPV. ...
• Hepatitis B.