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COVID-19 National Wastewater Data
COVID-19 Wastewater Monitoring in the U.S.
Wastewater monitoring can detect viruses spreading from one person to another within a community earlier than clinical testing and before people who are sick go to their doctor or hospital. It can also detect infections without symptoms. If you see increased wastewater viral activity levels, it might indicate that there is a higher risk of infection. See how to protect yourself from respiratory viruses.
Wastewater data are updated every Friday with the previous week’s data, which allows for data to be reviewed for accuracy. Data may change as more reports are received.
Current Wastewater Viral Activity Levels
This map shows the current wastewater viral activity level of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) for each state or territory. Tap or hover over a state or territory to see the viral activity level and number of sites reporting data.
National and Regional Trends
This chart shows national and regional trends of wastewater viral activity levels of SARS-COV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19).
About the Wastewater Viral Activity Level: The wastewater viral activity level indicates whether the amount of virus in the wastewater is very low, low, moderate, high, or very high. The wastewater viral activity levels may indicate the risk of infection in an area. The wastewater viral activity levels are categorized as follows:
- Up to 1.5 – Very Low
- Greater than 1.5 and up to 3 – Low
- Greater than 3 and up to 4.5 – Moderate
- Greater than 4.5 and up to 8 – High
- Greater than 8 – Very High
To learn more on how the wastewater viral activity level is calculated, see Data Methods.
How site-level wastewater viral activity levels are aggregated: National, regional, and state/territory data represent the median values across all wastewater treatment plants in the respective area. The wastewater viral activity level for an area may not represent every community in the area since some geographic areas may have a higher density of sampling sites.
Regions: States and territories are grouped into the following U.S Census Bureau regions:
- West: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming (N=14)
- Midwest: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin (N=12)
- Northeast: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, Vermont (N=10)
- South: Arkansas, Alabama, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia (N=17)
No Data: States or territories without sufficient data to estimate the wastewater viral activity level for the previous week are indicated as “No Data.” A label of “No Data” means that either:
- No data were reported this week from sites within the state or territory
- Data were reported this week, but sites within the state or territory do not have enough data (at least 6 weeks with consistent methodology) to estimate the Wastewater Viral Activity Level in the last week.
Limited Coverage: States or territories with limited coverage means that data for the most recent week are based on a small part (less than 5%) of the population and may not represent viral activity levels for the entire state or territory.