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Florida 4th Highest

Healthcare is on the mind of Americans now more than ever. Millions of Americans receive healthcare insurance through an employer-based plan, Medicare, Medicaid or other type of program, but more than 27 million Americans remain uninsured. As a health data management firm interested in where those who are uninsured live, we analyzed health insurance data from every state as well as the 100 most populous metro areas in the country.

Uninsured Americans by State

Among the top 17 states with the highest percent of uninsured residents (10% or more), 11 are in the South or Southwest. However, it’s Texas that is home to the highest percent of uninsured residents in the nation. More than 5 million Texans, or 18% of the population, are uninsured. Meanwhile, neighboring Oklahoma ranks right below Texas at No. 2 with more than half a million uninsured, or 14% of the population. Georgia ranks No. 3 with 1.4 million uninsured residents, or 14% of the population.

In terms of states with the most insured residents, Massachusetts ranks No. 1 with only 3% of its population uninsured, followed by Vermont (4%) and Hawaii (4%).

Uninsured Americans by City

Considering that Texas has the highest percent of uninsured residents, it may not come as a surprise that it is also home to the metro area with the highest percent of uninsured in the country. More than 260,000 out of 858,000 residents in the McAllen-Edinburg-Mission metro area are uninsured, which equates to 31% of the population. In fact, the top 5 metro areas with the most uninsured residents are in Texas. Behind the McAllen metro area, El Paso ranks No. 2 with 22% uninsured, Houston No. 3 (19%), Dallas-Fort Worth No. 4 (17%) and San Antonio No. 5 (16%).

With only 3% of Massachusetts residents uninsured, the state is also home to the top three metro areas with the least uninsured residents. The Boston-Cambridge-Newton metro area ranks No.1 with 3% uninsured followed by Springfield and Worcester, each with 3% uninsured as well.

Uninsured Millennials by State

Among Americans without health insurance, millennials are the demographic with the highest percent of uninsured. Nationwide, more than 6 million millennials between the age of 26 and 34 do not have health insurance. Texas is home to the highest percent of uninsured millennials with 29%, or more than 1 million.

In neighboring Oklahoma, a quarter of the state’s millennials are uninsured. Florida ranks No. 3 (24%), Georgia No. 4 (24%) and Mississippi No. 5 (23%). Overall, the average percent of uninsured millennials in every state is 15% and only 5 states have less than 10% of uninsured millennials.

Uninsured Millennials by City

Perhaps one of the most startling statistics when it comes to uninsured millennials is the percent of uninsured millennials in the McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, Texas metro area. Overall, 55% of millennials are uninsured in that region. El Paso ranks No. 2 with 35%, Sarasota-Bradenton, Florida ranks No. 3 (31%), Cape Coral-Fort Myers No. 4 (29%) and Houston No. 5 (29%).

Gaining insight into which states and cities have high percentages of uninsured residents can give us a better understanding of exactly where Americans are struggling to get healthcare coverage, or simply choosing not to have it at all.

Methodology

We analyzed the United States Census Bureau 2018 American Community Survey to determine the percent of uninsured Americans in every state. We also analyzed data from the 100 most populous metro areas within the United States. For millennials, we analyzed data for those between the age of 26 and 34 within those same states and metro areas.