States with the most COVID-19 vaccinations

As of Jan. 5, 2021, 4.8 million Americans have received doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. While this number is far below the federal government’s goal—20 million doses by the end of 2020—it still represents a landmark in the nation’s control over the pandemic. Initial COVID-19 vaccine shots have gone to healthcare workers, who will now be better protected as they care for patients, and to residents of nursing homes, who have proven particularly vulnerable to the disease.

In the early weeks of vaccine rollout, different states have had varying success in getting vaccines into arms. In some states, hospitals and pharmacies have quickly administered the shots and opened up vaccination for all seniors, while others have faced criticism for not mobilizing quickly enough. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has even threatened a law that would fine vaccine providers for not using all of their doses or administering vaccines to the wrong patients.

Stacker used data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) COVID Data Tracker to examine how every state is faring. The CDC’s “COVID-19 Vaccinations in the United States” data page provides information on doses distributed and Americans who have received their first dose, including both the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines. The counts include all vaccines shipped and administered since Dec. 14, 2020—though federal officials have said that the administration numbers may be undercounts, due to delays in state and local health departments reporting their numbers.

See how your state fares in this interactive data visualization, representing vaccinations as of Jan. 5, 2021.

Here are the states that have vaccinated the highest share of their residents so far:
- #1. South Dakota: 3,231 doses administered per 100,000 people (28,581 doses total)
- #2. West Virginia: 3,162 doses administered per 100,000 people (56,664 doses total)
- #3. North Dakota: 2,934 doses administered per 100,000 people (22,358 doses total)
- #4. Alaska: 2,604 doses administered per 100,000 people (19,050 doses total)
- #5. Vermont: 2,557 doses administered per 100,000 people (15,955 doses total)

Here are the states that have used the highest shares of their available doses:
- #1. South Dakota: 65% (28,581 out of 44,300 doses)
- #2. New Hampshire: 56% (30,035 out of 53,675 doses)
- #3. North Dakota: 55% (22,358 out of 40,825 doses)
- #3. Connecticut: 55% (81,970 out of 149,900 doses)
- #5. Iowa: 50% (60,137 out of 120,175 doses)

Overall, the 4.8 million vaccinations so far represent less than one-third of the 17 million vaccine doses that the federal government has distributed. On Jan. 5, 2021, CDC National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases Director Nancy Messonnier told STAT News that she expected administration to speed up in the coming weeks.

For more context on vaccines, read: How vaccines get made and approved in the US