About one out of every 30 Americans live in New York City. We are told 30,000 people died from Smallpox in New York City, and a further 1.5 million died in the United States (a ratio of one out of every 50 American deaths taking place in New York City). The number of New York fatalities therefore appears disproportionately low, particularly since infectious diseases spread more comprehensively in densely populated areas.