How can we help you today?
Whether you just pulled off a tick or you’ve felt unwell for months, start with the question that fits you. Every page puts what the official guidelines say next to what people living with Lyme tell us.
See every way to beat LymeSeven steps, from the trail to recovery. Start wherever you are.Show me the steps The Lyme controversies, explained simplyFind what you need
What every patient should know
Lyme is often missed, especially when there is no rash or the first test is negative. These takeaways come from LymeDisease.org’s “Diagnosing Lyme in Time”, based on what thousands of patients reported to its MyLymeData registry.
How to read these numbers: “Long-term Lyme” means symptoms that last 6 months or more after treatment. “Recent Lyme” means a new infection.
Figures are patient-reported data from LymeDisease.org’s MyLymeData registry (surveys and registry studies, 2011 to 2025). They describe people who chose to take part, not every person with Lyme. Want both sides? Read long-term Lyme, explained and IDSA vs ILADS.
Where Lyme disease is reported most
Reported cases per 100,000 residents in each state. Darker means more reported cases. Lighter does not mean Lyme-free: cases happen in every state, and many are never reported. Hover over a state, or tap it on your phone, to see its numbers.
See every state in a table
| State | Reported cases (2023) | Per 100,000 | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rhode Island | 2,852 | 260.2 | Highest reported |
| Vermont | 1,445 | 223.3 | Highest reported |
| Maine | 2,942 | 210.9 | Highest reported |
| West Virginia | 3,242 | 183.2 | Highest reported |
| Massachusetts | 9,715 | 138.8 | Highest reported |
| Pennsylvania | 16,671 | 128.6 | Highest reported |
| New York | 22,173 | 113.3 | Highest reported |
| New Hampshire | 1,573 | 112.2 | Highest reported |
| Wisconsin | 6,283 | 106.3 | Highest reported |
| Connecticut | 3,239 | 89.5 | High |
| New Jersey | 7,224 | 77.8 | High |
| Minnesota | 2,938 | 51.2 | High |
| Maryland | 2,470 | 40.0 | High |
| Delaware | 349 | 33.9 | High |
| Virginia | 1,747 | 20.0 | Moderate |
| District of Columbia | 108 | 15.9 | Moderate |
| Michigan | 1,152 | 11.5 | Moderate |
| Ohio | 1,307 | 11.1 | Moderate |
| Iowa | 212 | 6.6 | Moderate |
| Indiana | 257 | 3.7 | Low reported |
| Illinois | 372 | 3.0 | Low reported |
| Kentucky | 120 | 2.7 | Low reported |
| North Carolina | 228 | 2.1 | Low reported |
| North Dakota | 15 | 1.9 | Low reported |
| Oregon | 61 | 1.4 | Low reported |
| Florida | 271 | 1.2 | Low reported |
| South Carolina | 55 | 1.0 | Low reported |
| Montana | 11 | 1.0 | Fewest reported |
| South Dakota | 7 | 0.8 | Fewest reported |
| Alabama | 36 | 0.7 | Fewest reported |
| Tennessee | 50 | 0.7 | Fewest reported |
| Idaho | 11 | 0.6 | Fewest reported |
| Colorado | 32 | 0.5 | Fewest reported |
| New Mexico | 11 | 0.5 | Fewest reported |
| Utah | 16 | 0.5 | Fewest reported |
| Nevada | 14 | 0.4 | Fewest reported |
| Kansas | 12 | 0.4 | Fewest reported |
| Wyoming | 2 | 0.3 | Fewest reported |
| Louisiana | 15 | 0.3 | Fewest reported |
| Washington | 25 | 0.3 | Fewest reported |
| California | 109 | 0.3 | Fewest reported |
| Alaska | 2 | 0.3 | Fewest reported |
| Missouri | 16 | 0.3 | Fewest reported |
| Nebraska | 5 | 0.3 | Fewest reported |
| Arizona | 16 | 0.2 | Fewest reported |
| Georgia | 18 | 0.2 | Fewest reported |
| Arkansas | 5 | 0.2 | Fewest reported |
| Mississippi | 4 | 0.1 | Fewest reported |
| Texas | 27 | 0.1 | Fewest reported |
| Oklahoma | 3 | 0.1 | Fewest reported |
| Hawaii | — | — | Not reportable |
How to read this map
Public health maps are useful, but Lyme numbers come with big caveats. Here is what the colors can and can’t tell you.
States reported 89,468 cases to CDC in 2023. Using insurance records, CDC estimates about 476,000 people are diagnosed and treated each year, roughly five for every reported case, though CDC notes that estimate may run high.
Every state that tracks Lyme recorded cases in 2023. Blacklegged ticks live across much of the eastern half of the country, and the western blacklegged tick lives along the Pacific coast. Where Lyme is less familiar, it can also be less likely to be suspected, tested for and reported.
A Florida resident bitten on vacation in Maine counts as a Florida case. Some cases in low-rate states come from travel, and some infections picked up locally are missed.
Since 2022, the 15 highest-incidence states and Washington, D.C. can report cases from lab results alone. Other states also need clinical details from a doctor, which takes more work and can mean fewer cases get counted. CDC says the change makes numbers before and after 2022 hard to compare.
CDC publishes final national numbers a year or more after the fact. As of October 2026, 2023 is the most recent year on CDC’s Lyme disease data pages. We will update this map when newer data are released.
CDC says most of the jump in 2022 reflects the new counting rules rather than a change in risk.
Sources: CDC annual notifiable disease tables, 2023; CDC MMWR: Lyme disease surveillance after the revised case definition, 2022; CDC Lyme disease surveillance and data; U.S. Census Bureau 2023 population estimates. High-incidence jurisdictions: CT, DE, DC, ME, MD, MA, MN, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VT, VA, WV, WI.
Where ticks wait for you
Ticks can’t fly or jump. They wait on leaf litter and low plants for someone to brush past, mostly in shady, moist spots where they won’t dry out. Here is where to be most careful.
Woods and leaf litterDeer ticks are most common in the woods, where dead leaves keep the ground cool and moist.What to do there →
Woodland edges82% of deer ticks found on lawns were within about 9 feet of the lawn’s edge.What to do there →
Tall grass and brushTicks wait on grass tips and low plants. Risk is highest where grass and brush meet the woods.What to do there →
Stone wallsStone walls near the house shelter mice and chipmunks, which feed young ticks.What to do there →
Your own backyardAbout three in four Lyme cases are linked to activities around the home, like yard work.What to do there →
Trails and parksTicks wait along trail edges, so walk in the center of the trail.What to do there →See every place ticks live → Photos: Unsplash
Still sick? You are not imagining it.
Some people keep having fatigue, pain or brain fog for months or years. Doctors and patient groups disagree about why and how to treat it. We lay out both sides fairly, with the evidence, so you can make informed choices with your own clinician.
Latest news, explained
New research, CDC reports and vaccine updates, in plain language.
- Kay Hagan Tick Act renewed through 2030: what the new law doesThe President signed the Kay Hagan Tick Reauthorization Act on September 30, 2026, renewing federal tick and vector-borne disease programs through fiscal year 2030.
- HHS funds pilot projects to kill ticks on deer and miceHHS awarded nearly $3 million on September 28, 2026 to test deer feed and rodent baits that kill ticks, aiming to prevent Lyme and alpha-gal syndrome.
- Alpha-gal antibodies are common in some states, CDC blood donor study findsA CDC study of blood donors in 10 states found alpha-gal antibodies in nearly 1 in 4 adults in the highest states, though most do not have the allergy.
Two voices on every page
Lyme disease is confusing partly because the official guidance and the lived experience don’t always sound the same. We show you both, clearly labelled, so you can take better questions to your doctor.
Checked against the sources doctors use
Facts about symptoms, testing and treatment come from the CDC, the National Institutes of Health and published clinical guidelines, and every page lists its sources.
Real experiences, shared with permission
People living with Lyme share what it was actually like: getting diagnosed, being believed, what helped them cope. Stories are personal experiences, never medical advice. Share yours.
Guides people read first
Bitten, by Kris Newby
The Secret History of Lyme Disease and Biological Weapons · 2019
A Stanford science writer goes through the papers of Willy Burgdorfer, the scientist who discovered the Lyme bacterium, and asks uncomfortable questions about Cold War tick research. Many readers find it gripping. Many scientists dispute its central theory. We think it’s worth reading with both in mind.
Living with Lyme? Your story could help someone else.
Tell us what diagnosis, treatment and recovery were like for you. Share as much or as little as you want. You choose whether we use your first name or keep it anonymous.
Common questions
How common is Lyme disease in the U.S.?
It is the most common disease spread by ticks in the United States. States reported 89,468 cases to CDC in 2023, but many cases are never reported. Based on insurance records, CDC estimates about 476,000 people are diagnosed and treated each year, and notes that figure may be an overestimate.
Why does the map use 2023 data?
CDC releases final national Lyme numbers a year or more after the fact, and as of October 2026, 2023 is the latest year it has published. Reported cases also undercount real infections, so a light-colored state on the map can still have Lyme. How to read the map.
Can any tick give you Lyme disease?
No. In the U.S., Lyme is spread by the blacklegged tick (often called the deer tick) in the East and Midwest, and the western blacklegged tick on the Pacific coast. According to CDC, the lone star tick and the American dog tick do not spread Lyme, though they can carry other illnesses.
How long does a tick have to be attached?
CDC says that in most cases a tick must be attached for more than 24 hours before it can pass on the Lyme bacterium. That’s why checking for ticks every day and removing them quickly matters so much. What to do after a tick bite.
Is Lyme disease curable?
According to CDC, most people treated with antibiotics in the early stages recover quickly and completely. Some people have symptoms like tiredness, pain or trouble thinking that last months after treatment. Read about lingering symptoms.