STD Rates by State 2026

Sexually transmitted diseases, or STDs, are relatively common infections transmitted through sexual contact, such as sexual intercourse, caused by bacteria, viruses, or parasites. STDs can be spread through vaginal, anal, or oral sex, and those are infected can have no symptoms.

Because STDs can show no symptoms and can lead to serious health problems if untreated, getting tested for STDs is important and, luckily, easy to do. Most STDs are easy to treat as well.

HPV, or human papillomavirus, is a common STI. CDC states that most HPV infections—about nine out of ten—go away on their own within two years, but some persistent infections can cause cancer. Other common STIs include chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis, which are bacterial infections that can be treated.

Other types of STDs include genital warts, Hepatitis B, herpes, HIV/AIDS, scabies, pubic lice, molluscum contagiosum, and trichomoniasis (“trich”).

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides resources for STI prevention, testing, and treatment. Its STI overview states that millions of new infections occur in the United States each year and that many STIs cause no symptoms or only mild symptoms. Trends differ by infection and reporting year, and estimated total infections should not be treated as interchangeable with reported surveillance cases.

The state comparisons below use the CDC’s 2023 STI Surveillance State Ranking Tables. All rates shown are reported cases per 100,000 residents. Each infection has its own ranking; the report does not define one overall “STD rate.” The state rankings exclude the District of Columbia, while the national totals below include D.C. and exclude U.S. territories.

The syphilis figures here refer specifically to primary and secondary syphilis, not all stages of syphilis or congenital syphilis. Congenital syphilis uses a different denominator—live births—and should not be compared directly with these population-based rates.

Chlamydia Rates by State in 2023

CDC reported 1,648,568 chlamydia cases nationally in 2023, a rate of 492.2 per 100,000 residents. The following rankings come from table 28.

Highest Reported Chlamydia Rates

State	Cases per 100,000	Reported cases
Louisiana	792.4	36,242
Mississippi	700.9	20,603
Alaska	697.7	5,117
Alabama	651.1	33,261
Georgia	646.4	71,294

Lowest Reported Chlamydia Rates

State	Cases per 100,000	Reported cases
New Hampshire	196.6	2,756
Vermont	201.9	1,307
Maine	217.4	3,034
West Virginia	249.0	4,407
Idaho	294.9	5,793

Gonorrhea Rates by State in 2023

CDC reported 601,319 gonorrhea cases nationally in 2023, a rate of 179.5 per 100,000 residents. The following rankings come from table 19.

Highest Reported Gonorrhea Rates

State	Cases per 100,000	Reported cases
Alaska	310.9	2,280
Louisiana	288.4	13,192
Georgia	274.8	30,307
South Dakota	253.3	2,329
Mississippi	251.1	7,382

Lowest Reported Gonorrhea Rates

State	Cases per 100,000	Reported cases
Vermont	34.0	220
Idaho	39.6	778
New Hampshire	41.9	588
Wyoming	42.3	247
Maine	44.4	620

Primary and Secondary Syphilis Rates by State in 2023

CDC reported 53,007 primary and secondary syphilis cases nationally in 2023, a rate of 15.8 per 100,000 residents. The following rankings come from table 9.

Highest Reported Primary and Secondary Syphilis Rates

State	Cases per 100,000	Reported cases
South Dakota	73.4	675
New Mexico	36.6	773
Mississippi	30.1	886
Arkansas	29.2	896
Alabama	28.6	1,460

Lowest Reported Primary and Secondary Syphilis Rates

State	Cases per 100,000	Reported cases
Vermont	0.5	3
Wyoming	2.2	13
Idaho	3.8	74
New Hampshire	3.9	55
Maine	5.3	74

Interpreting the Rankings

Reported case rates reflect detected and reported infections, not all infections in a population. A person can also have more than one infection, so adding case counts across infections does not give a count of unique people.

CDC ranked states using unrounded rates, then case counts and alphabetical order, while displaying rates rounded to one decimal place. This can produce different rankings even when displayed rates appear equal.

The report also notes that pandemic-era changes in testing and reporting affect comparisons across years. Tennessee transitioned its STI surveillance information system in September 2023, which may have affected its reported counts. These lists describe the selected 2023 report, rather than a prediction of later-year rankings.