New England Ranks as Most Vaccinated Region in the US

According to a recent report published by consumer-based financial service company WalletHub, New England is the most vaccinated region in the country, with all 6 states that make up the region ranking in the top 10 for most vaccinated states in the US. Indeed, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Maine make up the 3 most vaccinated states, with Vermont coming in at 6th, New Hampshire at 8th, and Connecticut at 10th.

“Vaccines are most effective when a large portion of the population gets them, so it’s important to make sure people are educated about the importance of vaccines and how much good they have done for public health. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that vaccines prevent around 4 to 5 million deaths per year,” wrote WalletHub contributor Adam McCann.¹

According to UNICEF data, immunization alone is the most effective public health intervention that saves an estimated 4.4 million patients from death every year.² Despite health care experts agreeing that vaccinations are the easiest, most effective ways to stay healthy on a daily basis, immunization has decreased in the US since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.³

“Routine vaccination rates for kindergartners declined during the pandemic nationwide. Kindergarten vaccine coverage decreased during both the 2020-21 and 2021-22 school years after holding steady for a decade. The vaccination rate did not return to pre-pandemic levels during the 2022-23 school year,” wrote authors of an article published by the National Conference of State Legislatures.³

While immunization may be even more crucial for children in kindergarten or younger, it’s an important intervention for any patient wanting to stay protected from diseases that commonly trend up and down at certain times of the year—eg COVID-19, influenza, and other respiratory illnesses.

To further understand the extent of vaccination rates across the US, WalletHub experts analyzed data from all 50 states, and Washington, DC, across 16 key metrics. They then separated data amongst children and teenagers, adults and elderly patients, and underserved or uninsured populations.

READ MORE: Immunization Roundup: Updated COVID-19 Vaccines, Mpox Approval, and More

After recording all immunization data across the 50 US states, the top 10 most vaccinated states in order were Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Maine, Washington, Maryland, Vermont, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Washington, DC, and Connecticut. The top 10 least vaccinated states in order were Mississippi, Alaska, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Texas, Florida, Wyoming, Nevada, New Jersey, and Arizona.¹

Furthermore, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Washington, Maine, and Connecticut were the top states with the highest vaccination rates among children and teens. Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin were the top 5 states with the highest vaccination rates among adults, setting New England apart as the most vaccinated region of the country.

Finally, researchers separated each state by vaccination type, including influenza vaccinations among children under 17 and up-to-date HPV vaccinations in teenagers 13 to 17. For influenza vaccination rates, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Connecticut made the top 5, while Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire fell in the top 5 for HPV vaccinations.

As previously stated in WalletHub’s report, the best way to reap the full extent of a vaccination’s benefits is to ensure large portions of specific populations are vaccinated. This is also known as herd immunity, or “immunizing enough people to stop [a] virus from spreading,” according to an NBC 10 Boston article detailing the COVID-19 vaccination rates of 5 New England states.⁴

Indeed, as the article explains, the states making up New England have a recent history of being the most vaccinated. However, despite the region being among the top areas in the country regarding vaccination rates—40% of the northeastern US was fully vaccinated in 2021—New England continues to fall short of herd immunity.

Also in the report, WalletHub experts highlighted trends in the most unvaccinated areas of the country. Southern states like Mississippi and Kentucky dominated the bottom of the list, floating in the bottom 3 states for vaccination rates among children and adults. Other more isolated and rural states ranked low as well, such as Alaska, Wyoming, and Oklahoma.

There are several possible contributing factors to the variations of vaccination rates within places like the northeastern and southern US. In a recent Health Affairs Scholar study, researchers explored the prominence of pharmacy deserts in the US and found that 15.8 million (4.7%) Americans live in areas with a pharmacy desert, which is the term for a community with low income and low access to pharmacy services.⁵

However, data from the WalletHub report does not necessarily match the study’s observation of areas with pharmacy deserts. According to results of the study, many New England communities were living in or closely adjacent to areas with pharmacy deserts. On the other hand, these deserts were not as prominent in areas such as the southeastern US, but were significantly common in more rural states like Alaska and parts of the Midwest. While access to pharmacies does not directly correlate to areas with high vaccination rates, areas of lower income and health care access tend to fall behind when it comes to keeping a population healthy and protected against certain diseases.

While other factors such as immunization education and counseling could contribute to such high rates of vaccination in New England, other states falling behind on vaccination rates should follow a similar path as the 6 states that make up this region. And since getting state leadership to enforce vaccinations across the population is easier said than done, experts agree that starting with vaccination education for lower-rated populations is one of the more viable options.

“Vaccines are incredibly important, but in light of recent anti-vaccination trends, it’s clear that the public needs greater education on their benefits and how they work,” concluded authors of the report.¹

READ MORE: Community Pharmacist Education to Combat Vaccine Hesitancy

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References

1. McCann A. States that vaccinate the most (2024). WalletHub. September 11, 2024. Accessed September 11, 2024. https://wallethub.com/edu/states-that-vaccinate-the-most/66237

2. Immunization. UNICEF. 2024. Accessed September 11, 2024. https://data.unicef.org/topic/child-health/immunization/

3. Kolman S, Meyer C. Routine child vaccination rates lower than pre-pandemic levels. National Conference of State Legislatures. February 29, 2024. Accessed September 11, 2024. https://www.ncsl.org/state-legislatures-news/details/routine-child-vaccination-rates-lower-than-pre-pandemic-levels

4. Moroney J, Becker KM. 5 New England states have best vaccination rates in US, but herd immunity doesn’t look promising. NBC 10 Boston. May 4, 2021. Accessed September 11, 2024. https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/5-new-england-states-have-best-vaccination-rates-in-us-but-herd-immunity-doesnt-look-promising/2371929/

5. Wittenauer R, Shah PD, Bacci JL, et al. Locations and characteristics of pharmacy deserts in the United States: A geospatial study. Health Aff Sch. 2024;2(4):qxae035. March 16, 2024. doi:10.1093/haschl/qxae035