Race-Specific, U.S. State-Specific COVID-19 Vaccination Rates Adjusted for Age

ABSTRACT

We provide the first age-standardized race/ethnicity-specific, state-specific vaccination rates for the United States, encompassing all states reporting race/ethnicity-specific vaccinations. The data reflect vaccinations through mid-October 2021. We use indirect age standardization to compare racial/ethnic state vaccination rates to national age-specific vaccination patterns. Results show that white and Black state median vaccination rates are, respectively, 89% and 76% of what would be predicted based on age; Hispanic and Native rates are almost identical to what would be predicted; and Asian-American/Pacific Islander rates are 110% of what would be predicted. We also find that racial/ethnic group vaccination rates are associated with state politics, as proxied by 2020 Trump vote share: for each percentage point increase in 2020 Trump vote share, vaccination rates decline by 1.08 percent of what would be predicted based on age. This decline is sharpest for Native American populations, although Native vaccinations are reported for relatively few states.