Interactive: Who Are the Uninsured in Texas?

Nearly a quarter of the Texas population lacked health insurance in 2010, according to the most recent data released by the American Community Survey, which the U.S. Census Bureau conducted. That’s more than 5.7 million Texans.

It’s likely that someone you know — and probably one you wouldn't have guessed — doesn’t have health insurance. More than half of the uninsured are employed. More than a third have an annual household income above $50,000. And more than 1 million have college experience or post-secondary degrees.

We've visualized the numbers to give you a better sense of who the uninsured are in Texas. By clicking through the graphs below, you'll see the estimated number of people who lacked health insurance in 2010 by different demographic categories. The pie charts on each graph show the percentage of uninsured Texans each of those specific population groups make up.

The lack of health insurance coverage is a well-known problem in Texas. Gov. Rick Perry is opposed to a mandatory health insurance policy, and the debate over how to expand insurance coverage is complicated. For more information, see here.

The American Community Survey data used to create this interactive is compiled from surveys conducted across Texas each month for three years. The margin of error and extra details not portrayed in the graphs are included in the table below. Read more on the methodology of the American Community Survey or download additional survey data on the New American FactFinder.


2010 Estimates of the Demographics of the Uninsured in Texas
Source: 2010 American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau


Total Group Population Margin of Error Number Uninsured Margin of Error Percent of Group Uninsured Margin of Error Percent of All Uninsured Texans
STATEWIDE TOTAL 24,298,281 +/-3,009 5,721,404 +/-31,216 23.5% +/-0.1 n/a
AGE
Under 18 years 6,772,292 +/-2,322 1,086,995 +/-14,376 16.1% +/-0.2 19.0%
18 to 64 years 15,068,308 +/-4,170 4,587,335 +/-23,245 30.4% +/-0.2 80.2%
65 years and older 2,457,681 +/-2,617 47,074 +/-2,601 1.9% +/-0.1 0.8%
SEX
Male 11,918,169 +/-4,924 2,931,169 +/-18,433 24.6% +/-0.2 51.2%
Female 12,380,112 +/-4,491 2,790,235 +/-17,320 22.5% +/-0.1 48.8%
RACE AND ETHNICITY
White* 11,134,203 +/-4,897 1,503,596 +/-16,314 13.5% +/-0.1 26.3%
Hispanic or Latino* 9,085,277 +/-3,925 3,363,224 +/-23,703 37.0% +/-0.3 58.8%
Black or African-American 2,799,120 +/-7,649 599,213 +/-9,861 21.4% +/-0.3 10.5%
Asian 939,721 +/-3,973 198,054 +/-6,196 21.1% +/-0.7 3.5%
U.S. CITIZENSHIP STATUS
Native-born 20,313,444 +/-19,570 3,710,122 +/-27,754 18.3% +/-0.1 64.8%
Naturalized 1,280,236 +/-10,225 335,085 +/-6,110 26.2% +/-0.4 5.9%
Not a citizen 2,704,601 +/-18,954 1,676,197 +/-18,478 62.0% +/-0.4 29.3%
EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT
Population 25 years and older 15,060,042 +/-4,965 3,609,750 +/-20,080 24.0% +/-0.1 63.1%
Less than high school graduate 2,930,454 +/-17,108 1,345,016 +/-13,848 45.9% +/-0.3 23.5%
High school graduate, GED, or alternative 3,801,413 +/-19,662 1,078,173 +/-10,556 28.4% +/-0.2 18.8%
Some college or associate's degree 4,386,331 +/-15,954 856,817 +/-9,379 19.5% +/-0.2 15.0%
Bachelor's degree or higher 3,941,844 +/-16,914 329,744 +/-7,544 8.4% +/-0.2 5.8%
EMPLOYMENT STATUS
Population 18 years and older 17,525,989 +/-3,877 4,634,409 +/-23,467 26.4% +/-0.1 81.0%
Employed 11,199,269 +/-19,011 2,900,358 +/-16,150 25.9% +/-0.1 50.7%
Unemployed 858,644 +/-9,650 504,134 +/-9,077 58.7% +/-0.7 8.8%
Not in labor force 5,468,076 +/-17,739 1,229,917 +/-12,237 22.5% +/-0.2 21.5%
HOUSEHOLD INCOME
Civilian household population 24,128,346 +/-3,007 5,689,494 +/-31,010 23.6% +/-0.1 99.4%
Under $25,000 4,928,502 +/-29,720 1,736,031 +/-19,799 35.2% +/-0.3 30.3%
$25,000 to $49,999 5,947,758 +/-41,988 1,932,119 +/-26,233 32.5% +/-0.3 33.8%
$50,000 to $74,999 4,625,052 +/-33,112 1,059,858 +/-18,433 22.9% +/-0.3 18.5%
$75,000 to $99,999 3,150,900 +/-31,341 489,858 +/-12,881 15.5% +/-0.3 8.6%
$100,000 and over 5,476,134 +/-37,583 471,628 +/-12,084 8.6% +/-0.2 8.2%