See which Sacramento-area ZIP codes had the highest COVID rates during pandemic so far

It’s been a year since COVID-19 was first discovered in Sacramento. More than 135,000 confirmed infections later, many ZIP codes — particularly those in poor, crowded areas with a high proportion of residents of color — have been hit much harder than others.

During the first year of the pandemic, the highest local rates of COVID-19 infection were in 95814 (downtown Sacramento), 95838 (Del Paso Heights) and 95632 (Galt). The city of Woodland also saw disproportionately high rates of infection.

The lowest rates of infection were in 95819 (East Sacramento), 95746 (Granite Bay) and 95630 (Folsom). The city of Davis also saw disproportionately low rates of infection.

The areas with the highest infection rates tended to share several demographic characteristics:

Poverty: In the 15 ZIP codes with the highest poverty rates, the rate of reported COVID-19 infections was about 65 per 1,000 residents, compared to 47 per 1,000 residents in the 15 ZIP codes with the lowest poverty rates.

Crowded homes: In the 15 ZIP codes with the highest rates of residents living in very crowded homes, the rate of reported COVID-19 infections was about 67 per 1,000 residents, compared to 47 per 1,000 residents in the 15 ZIP codes with the lowest rates of residents living in very crowded homes. Very crowded homes are defined as housing units with more than one occupant per room.

Latino residents: In the 15 ZIP codes with the highest proportion of Latino residents, the rate of reported COVID-19 infections was about 73 per 1,000 residents, compared to 45 per 1,000 residents in the 15 ZIP codes with the lowest proportion of Latino residents.

Black residents: In the 15 ZIP codes with the highest proportion of Black residents, the rate of reported COVID-19 infections was about 67 per 1,000 residents, compared to 53 per 1,000 residents in the 15 ZIP codes with the lowest proportion of Black residents.

Asian residents: In the 15 ZIP codes with the highest proportion of Asian residents, the rate of reported COVID-19 infections was about 63 per 1,000 residents, compared to 52 per 1,000 residents in the 15 ZIP codes with the lowest proportion of Asian residents.

COVID-19 cases spiked in the Sacramento region during the summer then again — more dramatically — in December and January. They have fallen since.

Methodology: COVID-19 infection data are taken from county public health department online dashboards. Data in the story excludes ZIP codes with fewer than 5,000 residents, though those places are shown on the map. Data in the story and map excludes ZIP codes east of Auburn and El Dorado Hills, and west of Davis. Population and demographic figures come from the Census Bureau’s 2015-2019 American Community Survey.

This story was originally published March 9, 2021 at 5:00 AM.