TABLE 1.
Baseline characteristics of all SARS‐CoV‐2 infected by rural category, January 2020‐June 2021
| Characteristic |
Urban, N = 907,953 a |
Urban‐adjacent rural, N = 100,219 a |
Nonurban‐adjacent rural, N = 25,057 a |
P value b |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gender | <.001 | |||
| Female | 499,659 (55%) | 53,887 (54%) | 13,183 (53%) | |
| Male | 408,294 (45%) | 46,332 (46%) | 11,874 (47%) | |
| Age group | <.001 | |||
| <18 | 98,387 (11%) | 11,684 (12%) | 3,098 (12%) | |
| 18‐29 | 171,687 (19%) | 16,067 (16%) | 3,684 (15%) | |
| 30‐49 | 271,467 (30%) | 27,430 (27%) | 6,026 (24%) | |
| 50‐64 | 204,684 (23%) | 23,977 (24%) | 6,406 (26%) | |
| > = 65 | 161,728 (18%) | 21,061 (21%) | 5,843 (23%) | |
| Age, median (IQR) | 43 (27, 59) | 46 (27, 62) | 49 (28, 63) | |
| Race | <.001 | |||
| White | 519,903 (57%) | 76,052 (76%) | 20,448 (82%) | |
| Black or AA | 141,959 (16%) | 9,649 (9.6%) | 1,981 (7.9%) | |
| Asian or NHPI | 30,981 (3.4%) | 1,070 (1.1%) | 67 (0.3%) | |
| Other | 8,470 (0.9%) | 511 (0.5%) | 102 (0.4%) | |
| Missing/unknown | 206,640 (23%) | 12,937 (13%) | 2,459 (9.8%) | |
| Ethnicity | <.001 | |||
| Not Hispanic or Latino | 649,290 (72%) | 81,012 (81%) | 20,472 (82%) | |
| Hispanic or Latino | 158,049 (17%) | 9,893 (9.9%) | 1,217 (4.9%) | |
| Missing/unknown | 100,614 (11%) | 9,314 (9.3%) | 3,368 (13%) | |
| BMI category | <.001 | |||
| <18.5 | 28,283 (3.1%) | 3,164 (3.2%) | 853 (3.4%) | |
| 18.5‐24.9 | 133,424 (15%) | 12,547 (13%) | 2,960 (12%) | |
| 25‐29.9 | 140,691 (15%) | 14,214 (14%) | 3,717 (15%) | |
| >30 | 210,526 (23%) | 27,452 (27%) | 7,065 (28%) | |
| Unknown/missing | 395,029 (44%) | 42,842 (43%) | 10,462 (42%) | |
| Body mass index, median (IQR) | 28 (24, 33) | 29 (25, 35) | 29 (25, 35) | |
| Charlson Comorbidity Index Composite | <.001 | |||
| <1.0 | 637,254 (70%) | 67,528 (67%) | 16,948 (68%) | |
| 1.0‐2.0 | 175,839 (19%) | 20,142 (20%) | 4,955 (20%) | |
| >2.0 | 94,860 (10%) | 12,549 (13%) | 3,154 (13%) | |
| Composite score, median (IQR) | 0.00 (0.00, 1.00) | 0.00 (0.00, 1.00) | 0.00 (0.00, 1.00) | |
| Comorbidity incidence | ||||
| Hypertension | 192,522 (21%) | 24,970 (25%) | 6,080 (24%) | <.001 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 104,727 (12%) | 13,607 (14%) | 3,260 (13%) | <.001 |
| Myocardial infarction | 18,295 (2.0%) | 2,536 (2.5%) | 653 (2.6%) | <.001 |
| Congestive heart failure | 36,134 (4.0%) | 5,114 (5.1%) | 1,349 (5.4%) | <.001 |
| Peripheral vascular disease | 38,452 (4.2%) | 4,917 (4.9%) | 1,176 (4.7%) | <.001 |
| Stroke | 33,795 (3.7%) | 4,332 (4.3%) | 1,026 (4.1%) | <.001 |
| Dementia | 11,582 (1.3%) | 1,543 (1.5%) | 361 (1.4%) | <.001 |
| Chronic pulmonary disease | 105,481 (12%) | 12,403 (12%) | 3,069 (12%) | <.001 |
| Rheumatologic disease | 25,248 (2.8%) | 3,043 (3.0%) | 782 (3.1%) | <.001 |
| Mild or severe liver disease | 35,510 (3.9%) | 3,862 (3.9%) | 957 (3.8%) | .5 |
| Hemiplegia or paraplegia | 5,498 (0.6%) | 760 (0.8%) | 194 (0.8%) | <.001 |
| Renal disease | 44,480 (4.9%) | 6,579 (6.6%) | 1,635 (6.5%) | <.001 |
| Any malignancy (except skin) | 46,110 (5.1%) | 5,687 (5.7%) | 1,580 (6.3%) | <.001 |
| Metastatic solid tumor | 8,351 (0.9%) | 1,066 (1.1%) | 304 (1.2%) | <.001 |
| HIV/AIDS | 4,532 (0.5%) | 239 (0.2%) | 41 (0.2%) | <.001 |
| Multiple comorbidities | 318,584 (35%) | 38,765 (39%) | 9,575 (38%) | <.001 |
| Current or former smoker | 241,198 (27%) | 18,649 (19%) | 5,650 (23%) | <.001 |
| Outcomes | ||||
| Hospitalized after COVID diagnosis | 165,483 (18%) | 16,974 (17%) | 4,425 (18%) | <.001 |
| All‐cause mortality or hospice | 26,613 (2.9%) | 3,902 (3.9%) | 1,042 (4.2%) | <.001 |
| Quarter of diagnosis | <.001 | |||
| Jan‐Mar 2020 | 20,600 (2.3%) | 462 (0.5%) | 139 (0.6%) | |
| Apr‐Jun 2020 | 136,509 (15%) | 8,701 (8.7%) | 1,788 (7.1%) | |
| Jul‐Sep 2020 | 139,110 (15%) | 13,319 (13%) | 3,029 (12%) | |
| Oct‐Dec 2020 | 338,088 (37%) | 42,454 (42%) | 10,406 (42%) | |
| Jan‐Mar 2021 | 195,246 (22%) | 25,276 (25%) | 6,682 (27%) | |
| Apr‐Jun 2021 | 78,400 (8.6%) | 10,007 (10.0%) | 3,013 (12%) | |
| Subregion | <.001 | |||
| New England | 69,665 (7.7%) | 6,014 (6.0%) | 4,541 (18%) | |
| Middle Atlantic | 148,091 (16%) | 1,311 (1.3%) | 345 (1.4%) | |
| South Atlantic | 179,927 (20%) | 24,758 (25%) | 6,042 (24%) | |
| East South Central | 57,156 (6.3%) | 13,682 (14%) | 2,127 (8.5%) | |
| East North Central | 202,162 (22%) | 19,834 (20%) | 4,465 (18%) | |
| West North Central | 66,281 (7.3%) | 25,690 (26%) | 6,281 (25%) | |
| West South Central | 4,441 (0.5%) | 196 (0.2%) | 40 (0.2%) | |
| Mountain | 142,068 (16%) | 8,141 (8.1%) | 1,148 (4.6%) | |
| Pacific | 38,162 (4.2%) | 593 (0.6%) | 68 (0.3%) | |
a
Statistics presented: n (%).
b
Statistical tests performed: chi‐square test of independence, Kruskal‐Wallis test.