Kentucky’s largest metros among list of cities with highest STD rates in the US

KENTUCKY (FOX 56) — Two Kentucky cities have ranked among those with the highest sexually transmitted disease rates in the nation.

An annual innerbody study uses data published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to determine which metropolitan areas exhibit the highest numbers of reported STI cases per 100,000 population, specifically cases of HIV, chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis in 2023.

In 2023, over 2.4 million cases of syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia were diagnosed and reported across the nation, according to the CDC.

Detroit, Michigan, ranked first overall, reporting the following:

• 1,491 STI cases per 100,000 people
• 386 cases of HIV
• 20,830 cases of chlamydia
• 7,983 cases of gonorrhea
• 628 cases of syphilis

According to the study, the South accounts for over 60% of the top 25 metropolitan areas with the highest STI rates.

Based on the rankings, Lexington landed at 24th, reporting 1,169 cases of STIs per 100,000 people.

The following data reveals that nearly 5,000 cases of STDs were diagnosed and treated in the Lexington area:

• 109 cases of HIV
• 2,919 cases of chlamydia
• 1,622 cases of gonorrhea
• 223 cases of syphilis

Louisville, Kentucky’s largest metropolitan area, came in at 59th.

The CDC urges regular testing and open conversations with your doctor about sexual health.