- The rate of sexually transmitted disease has risen significantly in the past decade.
- The CDC estimates that 1 in 5 Americans have an STD at any given time.
- Chlamydia is the most prevalent STD, with more than 1.6 million new cases in 2023.
The rate of sexually transmitted infections has risen significantly in the last decade, with close to 2.5 million new infections reported in 2023, compared to 1.8 million in 2013. While HIV infection rates have remained fairly stable, syphilis shows the biggest increase.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 1 in 5 Americans live with such an infection at any given time, with health care costs estimated in the billions.
And with summer, rates tend to climb, which a new analysis using CDC data by Invigor Medical attributes to increased social activity, travel and sexual behavior when the weather’s warmer. But there are other factors, including varying levels of access to health care, different levels of sexual health education, differences in screening and its utilization and persistent social and economic factors.
Invigor Medical reports chlamydia is the most prevalent STD, with more than 1.6 million new cases in 2023, especially prominent among young women. Gonorrhea cases nearly doubled in the decade, to roughly 595,000. Syphilis increased sixfold from 34,279 cases to more than 205,000, though that may be a little misleading. Before 2018, the CDC didn’t include late-stage or unknown stage syphilis in its counts. Even so, the report said if you exclude those cases, the count still tripled over the decade.
That’s all bad news. The good news, per the report, is the epidemic of sexually transmitted infections may be slowing. Per the report, “While syphilis infections remain at record highs, reported cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and HIV have declined from their peak levels in previous years, signaling a promising shift in the trajectory of the nation’s STD burden.”
Men vs. women and infection rates
The analysis found that women are about 10% more likely to be diagnosed with an STD, compared to men. Among those 13 and older, there were 902 reported infections per 100,000 women, compared to 819 per 100,000 men.
The gap is most pronounced for adolescents and young adults, per the report, which said that there are biological differences that make women more susceptible, but it could also be a case of doing a better job of counting. Women are more likely to be screened and screened younger during routine reproductive health visits. Men tend to be tested if they have symptoms.
State by state count
The highest counts of STDs are currently found in the South, with Louisiana and Mississippi reporting the highest rates at 1,201.6 and 1,084.5 cases per 100,000, respectively. Two other states also report STD rates above 1,000 per 100,000: Alaska (1066.6) and Georgia (1020.9).
The other Southern states in the top 10 are Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina and Arkansas, while New York and South Dakota also make that top 10 list.
New England states typically have the lowest STD rates, per the report. Vermont (241). New Hampshire (251.1) and Maine (276.6) have one-fourth the infection rate of those in the highest burden states. “New England states tend to be older and have less ethnic diversity, both of which are associated with lower STD risk,” per Invigor Medical. The region also tends to have higher median income and a lower uninsured rate, so it’s easier to get tested and treated.
Filling out the bottom 10, Oregon ranks No. 41, Connecticut, No. 42 and Montana No. 43. Utah ranks No. 44 for states with highest rates of sexually transmitted disease, then Wyoming (No. 45), Idaho (No. 46), and West Virginia (No. 47).
Utah STD numbers
In 2023, Utah had 429.6 newly reported STD cases per 100,000 residents, making it seventh-best in terms of having low STD rates. Nationally, there were 746.7 cases per 100,000.
Of those cases in Utah, chlamydia accounted for 11,004, for a rate of 322 per 100,000, making its chlamydia rate seventh-lowest in the U.S. The national chlamydia rate was 492.2 per 100,000 with 1,648,568 new cases total.
There were 77.9 new gonorrhea cases in Utah per 100,000 residents, eighth-lowest. In all, there were 2,664 new cases. Nationally, the 601,319 cases created a rate of 179.5 cases per 100,000.
Utah was sixth-lowest for syphilis, with a rate of 24.2 cases per 100,000 residents and 828 total cases. Nationally, the numbers were 205,371 cases and a rate of 61.3 per 100,000.
Utah was 12th lowest for HIV, with 153 new cases, which came out to 5.5 cases per 100,000 residents. In the U.S. overall, the 38,793 cases reported created a rate of 13.7 per 100,000.
The report includes 354 U.S. metro areas and all 50 states. A news release describes Invigor Medical as a “Invigor Medical is an online telehealth company focused on wellness in sexual health, weight management, aging-related concerns, and other lifestyle conditions.”
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