Weekly U.S. COVID-19 Hospitalization Metrics by County

Encompassing historical weekly COVID-19 hospitalization data aggregated to the county level for the United States, including territories. It includes metrics on hospital admissions, inpatient bed capacity, and ICU bed occupancy, sourced from approximately 6,000 hospitals reporting to the CDC's National Healthcare Safety Network. The dataset is archived and was last updated in February 2026, with reporting ending in May 2024.

Use Cases

• Analyze trends in COVID-19 hospital admissions levels across U.S. counties to identify regional outbreak patterns.
• Model the relationship between inpatient bed occupancy and ICU bed capacity to assess healthcare system stress during the pandemic.
• Compare hospital capacity and occupancy metrics before and after the December 15, 2022 reporting mandate change to the NHSN.

Strengths

• Data sourced from approximately 6,000 hospitals in the United States, providing broad coverage.
• Includes multiple specific metrics such as hospital admissions, inpatient bed capacity, and ICU bed occupancy.
• Aggregated to the county level for all U.S. counties and territories, enabling granular geographic analysis.

Limitations

• Dataset is archived and no longer updated as of May 2024, limiting analysis to historical periods.
• May contain reporting errors or inconsistencies, as noted by the CDC, though efforts were made to correct them.
• Excludes data from certain hospital subtypes like psychiatric and rehabilitation facilities, which may bias the view of total healthcare capacity.

Provenance

Source

United States Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Collection Method

Data reported by hospitals to the CDC's National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN), with prior reporting to HHS or state systems before December 15, 2022.

Time Range

Historical coverage up to April 2024.

Freshness

Archived; reporting ended May 2024. Last metadata update was February 2026.

Geography

United States, including all counties, county-equivalents, and territories.