Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) are not a new phenomena, with recorded cases going back to ancient times. However, with advances in modern medicine they are now much less dangerous as they are easier to spot and treat than ever before. Also, with the use of protection during intercourse, we are now able to shield ourselves from infection with virtually 100% effectiveness.
However, despite all of these methods for dealing with the threat of STIs, they remain a commonplace health issue all over the world. Infection rates for STIs vary from place to place, whether that’s between countries, states, cities or towns, and there will always be hotspots where STIs are more prevalent, making unprotected sex much riskier.
This made us wonder what the STI landscape looks like in the USA, which is why we at NowPatient have crunched the numbers to create the USA STI Calculator. Now you can check out which states pose the biggest risk when getting down to business.
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), approximately 1 in 5 Americans have an STI. This alarming statistic highlights the need for greater awareness of sexual health and the risks associated with having unprotected sex.
In fact, the rate of new STI diagnoses has been on the rise in recent years for the majority of infections. However, new incidences of HIV have actually been falling, which shows what can be achieved with enough public awareness and medical commitment to tackling these diseases.
Despite the prevalence of many STIs in the United States, contracting one often comes with a lot of stigma. While many people can feel embarrassed or ashamed of having and STI, this should not be the case. STIs are a commonplace health condition that can be contracted and treated like any other illness. By shining a light on just how widespread STIs are in the country, we hope to help to reduce this stigma and encourage people to access medical help and support to treat these infections.
Below you can see the national landscape across four of the main STIs you’re likely to encounter. To give the data some extra context, we’ve split it by sex, so you can see how infection rates differ between men and women. In most cases the rate is higher for men, though chlamydia is an outlier here with female infection rates being markedly higher.
To see a breakdown of the STI risk in your area, simply select a state.
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HIV Prevalence
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(per 100,000 people)
Syphilis
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(per 100,000 people)
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We’ve also collected state-level data on these common STIs to find out just how prevalent they are in different parts of the country. Check out our tables below to find out just how at-risk you are in your area.
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State |
Population |
HIV Prevalence per 100,00 |
HIV Incidence per 100,000 |
Chlamydia per 100,000 |
Gonorrhea per 100,000 |
Syphilis per 100,000 |
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Sexual health is an incredibly important part of looking after your personal wellbeing, and shouldn’t be taken lightly. We believe that everyone should be empowered to enjoy a healthy sex life, and should be equipped with the knowledge of how to avoid catching or spreading STIs, as well as what to do if you think you have one.
The CDC suggests several ways of reducing the chance that you’ll contract an STI, the first of which is abstinence. While avoiding sex altogether is a surefire way of avoiding STIs, if you do decide to have intercourse in the future then you’ll need a bit more to go on.
You can protect yourself from certain STIs by getting vaccinated. This is a safe and effective way of protecting yourself from Hepatitis B and HPV, with the HPV vaccine also offering protection against a range of cancers.
Another great way of preventing infection is to use protection. This means using condoms (or dental dams for sex between two women) and always washing sex toys with soap and water between uses. By preventing the transmission of bodily fluids from one person to another, you effectively put a barrier between you and your partner that no STI will be able to cross.
Another way to minimize the risk of contracting an STI is to practice mutual monogamy with your partner, which means agreeing to not have sexual contact with anyone else. This requires a great deal of trust and honesty between you and your partner, and you should both be sure that neither of you already have an STI before having intercourse.
The last way of reducing your chance of getting an STI is to reduce the number of partners that you sleep with. This is a simple yet effective way of reducing the chance that you’ll come into contact with an STI, though you should still practice safe sex, using protection to safeguard both your sexual health and theirs.
If you think you have contracted an STI then you should get yourself tested as soon as possible. The earlier an infection is identified, the sooner and more effectively it can be treated, and the less chance there is of developing additional health problems.
If you or your partner experience any of the following symptoms then you should get tested for an STI:
Unusual discharge from the vagina, penis, or anus
Pain when peeing
Lumps or skin growths around the genitals or anus
A rash
Unusual vaginal bleeding
Itchy genitals or anus
Blisters and sores around the genitals or anus
Additionally, some STIs such as HIV have no symptoms, so you should still get tested if you have unprotected sex and are concerned about your sexual health.
The first thing to do is not panic. Many STIs are now curable, and there are treatments available for those that aren’t, so you’ll still be able to live a normal life. For instance, there are many treatments for genital herpes, such as Valtrex and Valacyclovir, which are readily available from pharmacies.
Here are some guidelines for what to do if you receive a positive result:
You should seek medical advice as soon as you receive your test result. Tackling the problem sooner will prevent the infection from getting worse and will be better for your health.
Do not have sex until you’ve completed your treatment. This will prevent you from passing the STI on to another person.
Let your partner know that you have tested positive for an STI, and get in contact with anyone you have had sexual contact with since your last STI test to let them know of your diagnosis so they can also get themselves tested.
We wanted to create an STI index that enables people to look up infection rates for various STIs in every state. To do this, we sourced STI data on four major STIs from the Center for Disease Control (CDC). We used data split by state to form our national STI index, while also supplementing it with data for national levels of STI infection which was also split by sex. This allowed us to provide a view of both the national and state-level STI landscapes.
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