Jackson, Mississippi has one of highest STD rates in the US | Biloxi Sun Herald

Mississippi’s capital city has the second-highest rate of sexually transmitted diseases in the U.S., according to a new study.

Innerbody used data from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) to determine the list of cities with high rates of STDs. Jackson was the only Mississippi city to make the list and is second to Memphis. New Orleans ranked sixth.

With 1,358 cases per 100,000 people the state capital city ranked second in the U.S. Jackson reported 105 HIV cases, 6,144 chlamydia cases, 3,587 gonorrhea cases and 607 syphilis cases. Jackson has a population of about 149,761.

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In comparison, Atlanta’s population is estimated to be around 490,270 and there are 811 STD cases per 100,000 residents. Atlanta was listed as 42 out of 100 on the list, but improved its ranking from last year.

Another southern city, San Antonio, has a population of 1,479,493 and ranked 37th on Innerbody’s study for the cities with the highest STD infection rates. For every 100k residents in San Antonio, there were 834 STD cases reported.

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.

Here’s how the study found the cities with the 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.

In Georgia, Columbus ranked 27 in cities with the highest STD rates, surpassing Atlanta (number 42 on the list) of top 100.

Here are the top 50 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

To view the full study, go to Innerbody’s website.

What do you think of this study? Let me know in the comments or email me at cmadden@mcclatchy.com