North Carolina Posts U.S.-Highest Snakebite Rate at 18.79 per 100,000 as Texas Tops 1,400 Cases
Updated
Updated · WLOS · Jun 24
North Carolina Posts U.S.-Highest Snakebite Rate at 18.79 per 100,000 as Texas Tops 1,400 Cases
3 articles · Updated · WLOS · Jun 24
Summary
North Carolina recorded an estimated 856 venomous snakebites a year, giving it the highest per-capita U.S. rate in a 2026 national analysis.
PlayCasino put the state's rate at 18.79 incidents per 100,000 people, ahead of Arkansas at 17.19 and Texas at 14.70, even though Texas had the largest total case count.
Warm-month exposure across Piedmont yards, Blue Ridge trails, wetlands and campsites helps drive risk in a state home to copperheads, cottonmouths, rattlesnakes and the rare eastern coral snake.
Copperheads are the most common venomous snake in North Carolina, while timber rattlesnakes are more common in western forests and cottonmouths and diamondbacks are concentrated in coastal and eastern areas.
CDC guidance says bite victims should move away, call 911 or seek emergency care immediately, and avoid tourniquets, ice, or trying to suck out venom.