U.S. COVID-19 PCR Test Results Time Series by State

A time series of viral COVID-19 PCR test results reported from over 1,000 U.S. laboratories and testing locations. Data are provisional and reported to state health departments under the CARES Act, with sources including CDC electronic reporting, commercial labs, and hospital labs. The dataset includes state-level daily counts of new and total test results.

Use Cases

• Analyze temporal trends in COVID-19 PCR testing volume using the `date` and `new_results_reported` columns.
• Compare testing outcomes and positivity rates between states or FEMA regions using `state`, `state_fips`, `fema_region`, and `overall_outcome`.
• Track cumulative testing efforts per jurisdiction over time by aggregating `total_results_reported` by `state_name`.
• Investigate geographic patterns in testing data by joining `geocoded_state` with external demographic datasets.

Strengths

• Data sourced from over 1,000 U.S. laboratories and testing locations.
• Includes daily state-level time-series data with key metrics like `new_results_reported` and `total_results_reported`.
• Aggregates data from multiple authoritative sources including CDC electronic reporting and state health departments.

Limitations

• Data is provisional and subject to change, with a noted lag of up to 3 days for recent reporting.
• Excludes serology tests and may not include all potential testing sites, such as point-of-care locations.
• Dataset updates were discontinued after May 3, 2024, limiting its use for current analysis.

Provenance

Source

CDC COVID-19 Electronic Laboratory Reporting (CELR), Commercial Laboratories, State Public Health Labs, In-House Hospital Labs, aggregated by datahub.hhs.gov.

Collection Method

Laboratory test results reported to state and jurisdictional health departments in accordance with the CARES Act.

Time Range

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Freshness

Updates were discontinued after May 3, 2024. Last recorded update was 2025-07-03.

Geography

United States, with state-level granularity (`state`, `state_fips`, `fema_region`).