One of the most persistent myths about the threat of COVID-19 is that it is inextricably linked with population density. Since March, this explanation has shown up in magazine articles and news reports both domestically and internationally . It has appeared in the speeches of mayors and governors and the columns of pundits from across the ideological spectrum .

It has also been thoroughly debunked.

The supposed link between population density and COVID-19 doesnt work at any scale. At the global level, coronavirus superstars include South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore all among the most densely populated countries on earth.

Countrywide statistics find no relationship between population density and COVID-19 death rates. To pick just one example, sparsely populated Canada has nearly 10 times more deaths per capita than tightly packed Bangladesh.

The explanation doesnt work within U.S. borders either. While its true that Americas most densely populated city, New York, had one of the countrys worst outbreaks, its second densest city , San Francisco, had one of the least severe . On Jan. 6, North Dakota, which ranks 47th among the states in population per square mile, had twice as many COVID-19 cases per capita as New Jersey , which ranks first.

Density cant even explain how the pandemic erupted within cities. In New York, the boroughs of Bronx and Queens have up to three times more deaths than Manhattan despite having half the population density . The same pattern has appeared everywhere from Chicago to Seattle to Nashville: Coronavirus outbreaks infect front-line workers, minorities, the poor and mask-deniers, regardless of how high their apartments are stacked on top of each other.