The independent source for health policy research, polling, and news.
New Analysis: Updated State Data Continues To Show Wide Disparities in COVID-19 Vaccination Rates by Race/Ethnicity
KFF has an updated analysis of state-reported data as of February 16, 2021 on COVID-19 vaccinations, cases, and deaths by race/ethnicity.
New to the analysis are comparisons of vaccination rates in each racial/ethnic group based on state-reported data of total people who have received at least one dose of the vaccine. Among just over half of states reporting data, the vaccination rate among White people is over three times higher than the rate for Hispanic people (10% vs 3%) and twice as high as the rate for Black people (10% vs. 5%). The vaccination rate for Asian people is closer to the rate for White people in most reporting states, although they are less likely to have been vaccinated in most reporting states.
Across the 34 states reporting data on vaccinations by race/ethnicity, there is a largely consistent pattern of Black and Hispanic people receiving smaller shares of vaccinations compared to their shares of cases and deaths and compared to their shares of the total population.
For example, in Texas, 20 percent of vaccinations have gone to Hispanic people, while Hispanic people account for 42 percent of COVID-19 cases, 47 percent of deaths from the virus, and 40 percent of the total population in the state. Similarly, in Mississippi, Black people have received 22 percent of vaccinations but make up 38 percent of COVID-19 cases, 40 percent of deaths, and 38 percent of the total population in the state.
The share of vaccinations among Asian people was similar to their share of the total population in most states and when there was a disparity in most cases the differences were small. White people received a higher share of vaccinations compared to their share of cases and deaths and their share of the total population in most states reporting data.
Vaccination patterns may change as more data is available and more parts of the country gain greater access to vaccines. Eighteen states and Washington DC are not yet reporting vaccinations by race/ethnicity and some states have high shares of vaccination data with unknown race/ethnicity and/or reporting “other or multiple races.