Where does COVID rank on the list of leading causes of death? 

The human brain is bad at interpreting big numbers.

After a certain point — though researchers disagree on when that point is — the brain goes from counting 1, 2, 3 to many. During a pandemic that has raged on for about two years, it seems we are surrounded by big, daunting numbers these days: death tolls, case numbers, outbreaks.

Here are some ways to put these numbers in context and understand the full toll of COVID-19 on the state.

More than 284,000 New Hampshire residents have contracted COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic. That number is approximately equivalent to

■A fifth of New Hampshire’s total population

■Twice the population of Merrimack County

■37 full Motor Speedway arenas

■24 times the undergraduate population of the University of New Hampshire

■The number of registered Democratic voters in New Hampshire

Of those, 11,656 residents of long term care facilities have contracted COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic. That number is approximately equivalent to

■A fourth of Concord’s population.

■Double the number of people Dartmouth College employs.

■The number of teachers in New Hampshire

About 2,280 Granite Staters have died as a result of COVID-19. That number is approximately:

■Two Capitol Center for the Arts audiences at full capacity

■Half the number of Dunkin’ Donuts in New England

■The population of Andover