2 NC cities have among the highest STD rates in the country. See the full list

Kimberly Cataudella
·4 min read
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Two North Carolina cities have the 12th and 13th-highest rates of sexually transmitted diseases in the U.S., according to a new study.

Healthcare research group Innerbody used data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to determine the list of cities with high rates of STDs.

Greensboro and Charlotte ranked 12th and 13th on the list, respectively. There are three NC cities overall, but Raleigh ranked lower on the list at No. 52.

The three cities at the top of the list were Memphis, TN; Jackson, MS and Columbia, SC.

#12 Greensboro: With 1,103 cases per 100,000 people, here’s what Greensboro reported:

  • 160 HIV cases

  • 10,175 chlamydia cases

  • 4,869 gonorrhea cases

  • 340 syphilis cases

#13 Charlotte: With 1,102 cases per 100,000 people, here’s what Charlotte reported:

  • 246 HIV cases

  • 15,784 chlamydia cases

  • 6,778 gonorrhea cases

  • 771 syphilis cases

#52 Raleigh: With 754 cases per 100,000 people, here’s what Raleigh reported:

  • 70 HIV cases

  • 10,051 chlamydia cases

  • 4,174 gonorrhea cases

  • 577 syphilis cases

Read the full study at innerbody.com/std-testing/std-statistics.

Here’s what else the study found

• Chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis top the list of most commonly reported new STD infections.

• California contributed 13 cities to our rankings this year — the most from any state.

• Three of the Top 25 cities are located in Florida

• 17 of the Top 25 cities with the highest STD rates are located in states with healthcare spending below the national average of $10,191 per capita.

• New York improved 19 spots; however, cities such as Norfolk, VA and Columbia, SC saw some of the biggest downward movements.

• The STD burden is not equal within cities, and STD burdens continue to hit racial and ethnic minority groups the hardest. Many of the highest-ranking cities have a higher percentage of minority residents.

Here’s how the study found cities with highest STD rates

The data from Innerbody’s report comes primarily from the CDC’s latest data releases regarding statistics for HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia. Herpes was not included in the CDC’s data release, so it was not included in Innerbody’s study.

CDC’s data releases can be found online.

Other data relating to population estimates in metropolitan areas and states in the US was found by looking at the US Census Bureau reports.

Here are the top 55 U.S. cities on the list

Southern cities are in bold:

  1. Memphis, Tennessee

  2. Jackson, Mississippi

  3. Columbia, South Carolina

  4. Baltimore, Maryland

  5. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

  6. New Orleans, Louisiana

  7. Milwaukee, Wisconsin

  8. Little Rock, Arkansas

  9. Washington, D.C.

  10. Norfolk, Virginia

  11. Cleveland, Ohio

  12. Greensboro, North Carolina

  13. Charlotte, North Carolina

  14. Charleston, South Carolina

  15. San Francisco, California

  16. Jacksonville, Florida

  17. Miami, Florida

  18. St. Louis, Missouri

  19. Fort Lauderdale, Florida

  20. Indianapolis, Indiana

  21. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

  22. Richmond, Virginia

  23. Rochester, New York

  24. Tulsa, Oklahoma

  25. Greenville, South Carolina

  26. New York, New York

  27. Columbus, Georgia

  28. Des Moines, Iowa

  29. Phoenix, Arizona

  30. Mobile, Alabama

  31. Tacoma, Washington

  32. Birmingham, Alabama

  33. Los Angeles, California

  34. Albuquerque, New Mexico

  35. Bakersfield, California

  36. Dayton, Ohio

  37. San Antonio, Texas

  38. Akron, Ohio

  39. Nashville, Tennessee

  40. Omaha, Nebraska

  41. Chicago, Illinois

  42. Atlanta, Georgia

  43. Buffalo, New York

  44. Detroit, Michigan

  45. Fresno, California

  46. Cincinnati, Ohio

  47. Colorado Springs, Colorado

  48. San Diego, California

  49. Austin, Texas

  50. Dallas, Texas

  51. Denver, Colorado

  52. Raleigh, North Carolina

  53. Orlando, Florida

  54. Tucson, Arizona

  55. Gary, Indiana

What to know about STD testing

The CDC recommended STD testing to know your status, which is a critical step to stopping STD transmission. If you know you are infected you can take steps to protect yourself and others.

Be sure to ask your healthcare provider to test you for STDs. The only way to know whether you are receiving the right test is to ask. Tell your partner to ask a healthcare provider about STD testing as well.

Many STDs can be easily diagnosed and treated. If either you or your partner is infected, both people need to receive treatment at the same time to avoid getting re-infected.

(Source: cdc.gov/std/prevention/default.htm)

The Biloxi Sun Herald’s Chelsea Madden and Mona Moore contributed to this report.

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