The number of birds in commercial poultry and gamebird operations lost to highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in the United States in 2022 was recorded at approximately 57.6 million, with 27 of the 50 states having at least one confirmed case of HPAI.
Some of those 27 affected states were much harder hit. Below is a list that ranks the states by how many birds were lost as a result of HPAI infections. The information used to compile this list was obtained from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) as well as some state agriculture agencies.
This list does not include losses that have occurred since 2022.
1. Iowa
Iowa has lost well beyond double as many birds than any other state at nearly 15.92 million. While Iowa ranked fourth in terms of the number of flocks affected, the average size of the flocks lost have been larger. Two affected layer flocks involved more than 5 million laying hens each, while three others have involved more than a million. One more affected flock included 915,900 birds. The first case in the state was confirmed on March 6, while the most recent cases were confirmed on December 12.
2. Nebraska
Like Iowa, Nebraska’s rank in terms of bird losses far outweighs its rank in terms of flock losses. Nebraska ranked 12 in terms of the most flocks lost, but the size of some affected flocks has made a big difference. The state lost more than 6.7 million birds, including a layer flock of 2.1 million hens and two more with approximately 1.7 million hens. Two large broiler flocks that collectively involved 988,500 birds also pushed those numbers up. These cases were all confirmed between March 22 and November 25.
3. Colorado
Colorado reported losses of about 6.26 million birds. Four of the affected flocks have contained more than 1 million laying hens, with the largest of those including 1.94 million. The state’s most recent case was confirmed on December 20.
4. Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania, which has had 25 flocks affected, lost about 4.35 million birds. Two of the state’s affected flocks have involved more than 1 million laying hens, while another included 879,400 laying hens. The state’s last cases were confirmed on November 10.
5. Minnesota
Minnesota had more flocks affected than any other state with 81. However, most of those flocks involved commercial turkey operations with smaller numbers than most layer flocks. Roughly 4.2 million birds were lost, with the largest affected flock involving 287,500 turkeys.
6. South Dakota
South Dakota, which ranks second for flocks lost to HPAI at 61, ranked sixth for birds lost at about 3.97 million. The majority of the affected flocks have been turkey farms, but the largest case in the state involved 1.33 million laying hens. The state’s most recent case was confirmed on December 20.
7. Ohio
Ohio has only had one flock affected by HPAI, but that was a commercial layer flock of more than 3.7 million birds. That single case was confirmed on September 3.
8. Wisconsin
Wisconsin ranks eighth in terms of birds lost at just over 3.3 million. The vast majority of those birds were in a flock of 2.75 million layers in Jefferson County. A total of 11 flocks in the state were affected in 2022.
9. Utah
Utah, which ranks fourth among states regarding flock losses at 19, ranks ninth for birds lost at 2.1 million, with most of those being from a flock of 1.5 million laying hens in Cache County. All other cases in the state have involved turkey operations in Sanpete County.
10. Maryland
Five flocks in Maryland were affected by HPAI in 2022, with the largest involving 663,400 laying hens, and the smallest involving 139,300 broilers. The state’s total bird losses amounted to about 1.8 million.
11. Delaware
Delaware had three confirmed HPAI cases in 2022, with those three flocks collectively involving 1.44 million birds.
12. Washington
A single case of HPAI in Washington, confirmed on December 14, involved 1,015,500 commercial layers.
13. California
California has had 15 flocks affected by HPAI, collectively involving about 707,000 birds. The largest affected flock involved 161,700 commercial turkeys in Tuolumne County.
14. North Carolina
The nine flocks lost in North Carolina collectively included 481,400 birds. Of those, the largest one had 216,000 broilers.
15. Missouri
Missouri lost 469,300 birds among eight flocks. The biggest of those was the first case to be confirmed in the state – a flock of 294,800 broilers in Stoddard County.
16. Kentucky
Two Kentucky flocks were affected by HPAI and 284,700 birds were lost. The largest of those two was a flock of 231,400 broilers in Fulton County.
17. North Dakota
All five of North Dakota’s HPAI cases were in commercial turkey flocks, with 235,600 birds affected. The most sizeable of those five flocks had 69,100 turkeys.
18. Indiana
Indiana was the state where 2022’s first HPAI case in commercial poultry appeared, and 10 other cases followed. The state lost 227,883 birds, but one of those flocks was depopulated as a precaution because of its connection with another flock where HPAI had been confirmed.
19. Tennessee
Tennessee had three cases of HPAI in commercial poultry flocks in 2022, all of which were confirmed in November and December. The state lost 83,500 commercial broiler breeders.
20. Arkansas
The one HPAI case in Arkansas in 2022, a commercial broiler breeder pullet flock, contained 56,000 birds.
21. Michigan
A flock of 35,100 commercial turkeys in Muskegon County was the site of Michigan’s only HPAI case.
22. Mississippi
Mississippi, on November 5 had a commercial flock of 34,900 broiler breeders infected. That was the state’s only case in 2022.
23. Oklahoma
A commercial broiler breeder flock of 13,800 birds in Sequoyah County is the only confirmed case of HPAI in 2022 in Oklahoma.
24. Idaho
Gooding County, Idaho, was where an upland gamebird operation was affected by HPAI, making it the state’s only confirmed case. Affected were 9,000 birds.
25. Kansas
A commercial turkey breeder hen flock in McPherson County has been Kansas’ only HPAI case. This flock contained 6,900 birds.
26. New York
New York’s only HPAI case in a commercial operation affected 6,000 upland gamebirds.
27. Texas
Like Idaho and New York, Texas’ only case of HPAI involved upland gamebirds. In this case, 1,700 birds were affected.
To learn more about HPAI cases in commercial poultry flocks in the United States and Canada, see an interactive map on WATTPoultry.com.
Read our ongoing coverage of the global avian influenza outbreak.
