Data

To characterize US county-level COVID-19 vaccination patterns accurately we integrated data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention with data provided by state health departments. We collate these disparate data sources to produce a single estimate of cumulative vaccination counts for every county updated twice a week. For more information about our data methodology, see below. 
Updated: July 27, 2021

  • What is the source of the data?
    The data displayed on the dashboard has been compiled from a variety of sources. We begin with data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's COVID-19 Integrated County View data product. However, we find that the vaccination data reported by the CDC is significantly incomplete/incorrect for a number of states (including Colorado, Georgia, New Mexico, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, Vermont) and moderately incomplete/incorrect for an additional set of states (California, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio). For these states, we integrate vaccination data reported by individual state health departments (as the CDC recommends that states be considered the authoritative source for vaccination data). Additionally, we have identified counties around the country for which the CDC-reported data incorporates doses provided by the Indian Health Service, the Bureau of Prisons, the Department of Defense, or Veterans Health, while the state-reported data does not. We have retained the CDC-reported data in these cases.
  • How are the vaccination estimates shown on the dashboard defined?
    We visualize two measures. Complete vaccination coverage is the cumulative proportion of the total population that has received two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine or one dose of the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine, completing the vaccine regimen needed for full protection. Partial vaccination coverage is the cumulative proportion of the total population that has received one dose of the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, and therefore only has partial protection. Importantly, we consider coverage of the entire population (not just the 12+ or 18+ population as some states and the CDC are doing). Population estimates necessary for normalization of vaccine count data to produce coverage estimates comes from the U.S. Census Bureau 2019 American Community Survey 1-year population estimates.
  • How are the geographic estimates defined? 
    The geographic scope of the dashboard is the 50 US states and the District of Columbia (and does not include the territories of American Samoa, Guam, Federated States of Micronesia, Marshall Islands, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, Republic of Palau, and the US Virgin Islands.) We note that county-level data for Hawaii is not available for download, so we assume all counties in Hawaii have the state-level vaccination coverage.
  • Why does data here differ from data on other websites (e.g. CDC)?
    Our data differ from the data provided by the Centers for Disease Control in the following ways: 1) we include data on states/counties missing in the CDC data (e.g. in Texas, California, Virginia); 2) we correct erroneous population counts in the CDC data which shift the vaccination coverage; 3) and importantly, we identify and reconcile discrepancies between the CDC data and what is reported by the individual state health departments.
  • What are some limitations of the data?
    1) The data collation process described above is a process in flux caused by the unpredictable changes in data access, data definitions and data formats provided by the CDC and states. 2) Many states report vaccinated doses administered which have no county residence information (due to missing information about residents or because the vaccinated individual does not live in that state). These vaccinations are not counted in our county-level vaccination counts. We find that these vaccinations do not make up more than 10% of any state’s total vaccination counts. 3) The county-level vaccination counts reported by the CDC do not include county residents vaccinated by Veterans Affairs, the Department of Defense, the Indian Health Service, and the Bureau of Prisons. Some states do include these vaccinations in their provided data, others do not. We are working to better disentangle and integrate these data.
  • Is this data available for download?
    Yes, the latest data (displayed on this site) can be downloaded here. (We are working on cleaning historical estimates and hope to provide time series data soon.)
  • Does the dashboard provide medical guidance?
    This dashboard does not provide any medical guidance or vaccination recommendations. For details on your state’s vaccination plan, please consult your state health department website. Georgetown University is not responsible for the accuracy, fitness for use, and merchantability of this product.
  • Can I commercialize this dashboard? 
    Use of this dashboard for commercial purposes is strictly prohibited. Georgetown University is not responsible for the accuracy, fitness for use, and merchantability of this product.
  • Who do I contact for questions/feedback?
    For questions or feedback, please reach out to Dr. Shweta Bansal at shweta.bansal 'at' georgetown.edu