Top 15 Cities With the Most STDs (2022)

It seems like for the past two years, the only disease that has dominated the news and the one we talk about the most has been COVID.

But after a long, COVID-related delay, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has finally released its latest Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) Surveillance Report, and the numbers are disturbing. For the 6th consecutive year, the STD rate in the United States hit a record high.

Before we get to the full rankings, here are some interesting facts and trends that need to be called out:

Chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis top the list of most commonly reported new STD infections. Taken together, infections from these three reportable diseases increased almost 30% from 2015 to 2019.
The South continues to be disproportionately represented among the hardest-hit cities. Of the Top 25, 17 are southern cities (or 19, if you use the Census Bureau’s definition to include Baltimore and the District of Columbia).
Four of the Top 25 cities are located in Florida, which is a worrisome development for the Sunshine State.
California and Texas tie for the state with the most cities in our rankings, at 14 apiece, though these are after all two of the largest states in our country. Alabama is next with six cities.

You should also know that based on CDC data, STD rates were:

5-8 times higher for African Americans or Black people than for non-Hispanic White people
3-5 times higher for American Indians, Native Alaskans, and Native Hawaiians than for non-Hispanic White people
1-2 times higher for Hispanic or Latino people than for non-Hispanic white people

Ok, now on to the list: