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.
Choose a Graph: Age | Sex | Race and Ethnicity | U.S. Citizenship Status | Educational Attainment | Employment Status | Household Income
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% |