COVID-19 cases are spiking in these college towns—even as the U.S. trends downward

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The return of students to campuses across the U.S. is changing the landscape of pandemic America.

As new cases of coronavirus across the country trend downward, college towns dominate the list of places—accounting for the top 16 spots—where new cases of COVID-19 have increased the most in the past two-week period, according to a Fortune analysis of New York Times data.

Johnson County, Iowa, home to Iowa City and the University of Iowa where classes began last Monday, saw the biggest jump in new cases—up from an average of 17 per day two weeks ago to 184 per day in the week ending Aug. 30. After the reports of fast-rising cases and publication by the local media of photos of mask-less students teeming Iowa City’s bars last week, Iowa governor Kim Reynolds ordered all bars, night clubs, and other drinking venues in six counties—including those where Iowa, Iowa State, and Drake Universities are located—to close. (All three of those institutions are in counties that are among the 16 with the biggest increase in new coronavirus cases). The University of Iowa Health Care reported positivity rates well above 30% for multiple days last week.

Lee County, Alabama, where Auburn University is located—and where classes began Aug. 17—experienced the second largest increase in new cases—up from an average of 8 per day two weeks ago to 54 per day in the week ending Aug. 30. Sixteen players on the college’s football team are among those to have reportedly tested positive.

In total, counties with 113 colleges had reported at least 25 more coronavirus cases per day in the week ending Aug. 30 than two weeks prior.

In less populated areas, the return of students to campus has had an even greater impact in terms of overall coronavirus case numbers. The city of Radford, Virginia—the location of Radford University and roughly 9,400 students—had recorded just 68 cases as of Aug. 17; two weeks later, with students back on campus, the figure has increased by 465% to 348 cases for the year. The total number of cases reported year-to-date in Dawes County, Nebraska (population 8,700) have increased 329% in the two weeks ending Aug. 30. That’s the location of Chadron State College, a 3,000-student institution that has reported 27 positive cases among its student and faculty since Aug. 12. Whitman County, Washington has seen its case numbers soar by 258% in the past two weeks, reportedly due to the area’s student population. While the university has gone to remote classes this fall, many students have reportedly returned to off-campus housing nearby. Some of South Dakota’s college towns have also become hotspots, though case numbers remain relatively small.

Institutions in counties with largest increase of daily new cases

Additional new cases per day based on a seven-day average, Aug 17 – Aug. 30

Institution name	County	City	State	Increase in county
University of Iowa	Johnson	Iowa City	Iowa	170
Auburn University	Lee	Auburn	Ala.	151
University of Texas Rio Grande Valley	Hidalgo	Edinburg	Texas	141
South Texas College	Hidalgo	McAllen	Texas	141
University of Houston	Harris	Houston	Texas	124
Rice University	Harris	Houston	Texas	124
University of Houston-Downtown	Harris	Houston	Texas	124
Houston Baptist University	Harris	Houston	Texas	124
Texas Southern University	Harris	Houston	Texas	124
University of Houston-Clear Lake	Harris	Houston	Texas	124
University of St Thomas	Harris	Houston	Texas	124
University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston	Harris	Houston	Texas	124
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center	Harris	Houston	Texas	124
Drake University	Polk	Des Moines	Iowa	122
Texas A&M University	Brazos	College Station	Texas	90
Boston University	Suffolk	Boston	Mass.	87
Suffolk University	Suffolk	Boston	Mass.	87
Emmanuel College	Suffolk	Boston	Mass.	87
Northeastern University	Suffolk	Boston	Mass.	87
Emerson College	Suffolk	Boston	Mass.	87
University of Massachusetts Boston	Suffolk	Boston	Mass.	87
Massachusetts College of Art and Design	Suffolk	Boston	Mass.	87
Pine Manor College	Suffolk	Chestnut Hill	Mass.	87
Simmons University	Suffolk	Boston	Mass.	87
Wentworth Institute of Technology	Suffolk	Boston	Mass.	87
University of Alabama	Tuscaloosa	Tuscaloosa	Ala.	83
East Carolina University	Pitt	Greenville	N.C.	78
Iowa State University	Story	Ames	Iowa	78
University of Notre Dame	St. Joseph	Notre Dame	Ind.	76
Saint Mary’s College	St. Joseph	Notre Dame	Ind.	76
Indiana University South Bend	St. Joseph	South Bend	Ind.	76
Purdue University – Purdue Polytechnic South Bend	St. Joseph	South Bend	Ind.	76
North Carolina State University	Wake	Raleigh	N.C.	75
Meredith College	Wake	Raleigh	N.C.	75
Shaw University	Wake	Raleigh	N.C.	75
William Peace University	Wake	Raleigh	N.C.	75
Saint Augustine’s University	Wake	Raleigh	N.C.	75
University of South Carolina	Richland	Columbia	S.C.	71
Benedict College	Richland	Columbia	S.C.	71
Illinois State University	McLean	Normal	Ill.	66
Illinois Wesleyan University	McLean	Bloomington	Ill.	66
University of Alabama at Birmingham	Jefferson	Birmingham	Ala.	64
Samford University	Jefferson	Birmingham	Ala.	64
Birmingham-Southern College	Jefferson	Birmingham	Ala.	64
Miles College	Jefferson	Fairfield	Ala.	64
Harvard University	Middlesex	Cambridge	Mass.	63
Brandeis University	Middlesex	Waltham	Mass.	63
Boston College	Middlesex	Chestnut Hill	Mass.	63
Massachusetts Institute of Technology	Middlesex	Cambridge	Mass.	63
University of Massachusetts Lowell	Middlesex	Lowell	Mass.	63
Bentley University	Middlesex	Waltham	Mass.	63
Framingham State University	Middlesex	Framingham	Mass.	63
Lasell University	Middlesex	Newton	Mass.	63
Lesley University	Middlesex	Cambridge	Mass.	63
Regis College	Middlesex	Weston	Mass.	63
Tufts University	Middlesex	Medford	Mass.	63