Making the Global Local: A Late-July Update

 As I write this, over 150,000 people in the United States have died from COVID-19--still, nearly a fourth of its

victims worldwide.  But what does that number mean to me?  How can I make sense of such a large number?

Below is a list of U.S. cities in each state whose populations come closest to 150,000.  Since I first wrote this post on April 25 (when the U.S. reported over 52,000 deaths), this new figure is big enough that I have to include multiple cities in many states.  That is unimaginable.  In Nebraska, 150,000 means no Grand Island, Fremont, Bellevue or Kearney.  Wow. 

By the time you read this, these numbers will be old.

What Does 150,000 Look Like In Your State? Imagine these cities, gone.

ALABAMA

Tuscaloosa 103,000

Madison 52,000

ALASKA

Juneau     31,000

Fairbanks 31,000

Badger     19,000

Knik        17,500

College 14,000

Wasilla      11,00

Tanaina     10,500

Lakes         10,000

Sitka            8,500

Ketchikan    8, 200

ARIZONA

Yuma    98,000

Lake Havasu    55,800

ARKANSAS

Fort Smith    88,000

North Little Rock    66,000

CALIFORNIA

Salinas    155,400

COLORADO

Lakewood     157,000

CONNECTICUT

Bridgeport    144,000

Canton        10,000

DELAWARE

Wilmington    70,000

Newark        38,000

Dover           33,000

Middleton     23,000

FLORIDA

Hollywood    154,800

GEORGIA

Macon-Bibb    153,100

HAWAII

East Honolulu    48,000

Hilo   46,000

Pearl City    46,000

Waianae    14,000

IDAHO

Meridian    114,000

Post Falls    36,000

ILLINOIS

Peoria    110,000

Oak Lawn    55,000

INDIANA

South Bend    104,000

Elkhart    52,000

IOWA

Sioux City    82,000

Iowa City    75,000

KANSAS

Kansas City    153,000

KENTUCKY

Bowling Green    70,500

Owensburo    60,000

Paducah    25,000

LOUISIANA

Lafayette    126,000

New Iberia    28,400

MAINE

Portland    66,000

Lewiston    36,000

Bangor    32,000

South Portland    25,000

MARYLAND

Columbia    103,000

Aspen Hill    52,000

MASSACHUSETTS

Springfield    153,600

MICHIGAN

Ann Arbor    120,000

Lincoln Park    36,000

MINNESOTA Rochester    120,000

Richfield    36,300

MISSISSIPPI

Gulfport    71,700

Southhaven    55,700

Greenville    29,000

MISSOURI

Columbia    123,000

Liberty        32,100

MONTANA

Billings 109,000

Butte    34,600

Belgrade    9,700

NEBRASKA

Bellevue    53,500

Grand Island    51,200

Kearney    33,800

Fremont    26,300

NEVADA

Sparks     105,000

Carson City    55,000

NEW JERSEY

Lakewood    106,000

Plainfield    50,000

NEW MEXICO

Las Cruces    103,000

Carlsbad    29,000

Gallup    21,000

NEW YORK

Syracuse    142,000

Ulster        12,600

NORTH CAROLINA

Wilmington    123,000

Cornelius        32,000

NORTH DAKOTA

Fargo    124,000

Williston    29,000

OHIO

Canton    70,000

Youngstown    65,000

Ashland    20,275

OKLAHOMA Norman    125,000

Shawnee    31,000

OREGON

Bend    100,000

Tigard    55,500

PENNSYLVANIA

Allentown    124,000

Ross    30,000

RHODE ISLAND

Cranston    81,400

Pawtucket    72,000

SOUTH CAROLINA

Charleston    137,000

Wade Hampton    20,000

SOUTH DAKOTA

Rapid City    77,500

Aberdeen    28,200

Brookings    24,400

Watertown    22,100

TENNESSEE

Clarksville    158,000

TEXAS

Midland    146,000

Ingleside    10,000

UTAH

Provo    116,000

Spanish Fork    40,900

VERMONT

Burlington    43,000

Essex    22,000

South Burlington    19,500

Colchester    17,000

Rutland City    15,000

Bennington    15,000

Brattleboro    11,000

Essex Junction    10,800

VIRGINIA

Roanoke    100,000

Leesburg    54,000

WASHINGTON Olympia    53,000

Lacey    53,000

Burien    51,000

WEST VIRGINIA Charleston    46,500

Huntington    45,000

Morgantown    30,500

Parkersburg    29,300

WISCONSIN Green Bay    104,000

LaCrosse        51,000

WYOMING

Cheyenne    64,000

Casper    58,000

Laramie    32,700