Abstract We sought to determine if HbA1c and perioperative hyperglycemia were positively associated with the incidence of PJI. We retrospectively reviewed the VA VINCI database on patients who underwent primary joint arthroplasty between 2001 and 2011 and had HbA1c and perioperative blood glucose levels. Of 13,272 patients, 38% (n = 5035) had an elevated perioperative HbA1c ≥ 7%. While there was no increased risk of infection associated with elevated HbA1c (HR 0.86, P = 0.23), mortality was increased (HR 1.3, P = 0.01). Preoperative hyperglycemia was associated with an increased incidence of PJI (HR 1.44, P = 0.008). While HbA1c did not perfectly correlate with the risk of PJI, perioperative hyperglycemia did, and may be a target for optimization to decrease the burden of PJI.