COVID-19 Death and Case Rates in NYC

This project analyzes the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City using three key metrics: death rate, case rate, and percentage of deaths per positive case. The data for this analysis include Zip Code Tabulation Area (ZCTA) boundary data from NYC Open Data and COVID-19 case and mortality data from the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH).

I cleaned and joined them in ArcGIS Pro using the ZCTA code as the linking field. I then calculated the death rate and case rate per 100,000 residents for each ZIP code to standardize comparisons across areas with different population sizes. The use of rates instead of raw counts allows for meaningful comparisons between ZIP codes.

Death and Case Rates

Figure 1: COVID-19 death rates in NYC

Figure 2: COVID-19 case rates in NYC

Each of the five boroughs features distinct demographics and socioeconomic profiles. Of the five boroughs, Staten Island had the highest median household income ($86,054), followed by Manhattan ($84,435), Queens ($73,262), Brooklyn ($67,567), and the Bronx ($43,011). Similar to the death rate pattern, Manhattan displayed a much lower case rate compared to the other boroughs, further suggesting that socioeconomic status and access to healthcare played a role in limiting disease spread.

Cases Resulting in Death

Figure 3 : Percent of positive COVID-19 cases resulting in death in NYC

The third map (figure 3), showing the percentage of positive COVID-19 cases resulting in death, indicates clear geographic disparities across New York City. Staten Island contains the largest cluster of ZIP codes with high fatality percentages.

Outer boroughs such as the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island all generally faced higher impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic than Manhattan did, furthering the idea that higher income leads to better healthcare and, therefore, lower transmission and death rates. Overall, the three maps depicting the COVID-19 case rates, death rates, and the percentage of positive tests illustrate how the five boroughs of New York were affected by the pandemic and how income levels influenced these outcomes.

Sources

https://data.cccnewyork.org/data/map/66/medianincomes#66/39/2/107/127/a/a

Census Data: United States Census Bureau https://data.census.gov/advanced

NYC Data: NYC Open Data Portal https://opendata.cityofnewyork.us/

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