Data on confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths are used to calculate seven-day rolling incidence and mortality rates in metropolitan, nonmetropolitan, or noncore counties (classified using Urban Influence Codes). Graphics and a table are used to depict trends during the duration of the pandemic and to focus on the course of the pandemic during the previous three months. In addition, the brief provides maps depicting state relative incidence and mortality rates for the previous three months for metropolitan and nonmetropolitan counties.

Following the first "surge" in Spring 2020 (which occurred primarily in metropolitan counties), disease trends in the three classifications of counties have run largely in parallel. But findings in the brief show that there have been prolonged periods where incidence and mortality rates have been higher in nonmetropolitan and noncore counties than in metropolitan counties.