Using the last five years of Census Data, we determined the levels of people without insurance for each state in the United States. The Affordable Care Act continues to help drive down the rate of the uninsured.
The uninsured population in America has been decreasing over the past decade as states continue to enroll more people in the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare. The rate of unisured was over 18% in 2010, pre-Obamacare.
While the overall population has seen a general decrease in the level of the uninsured, the rate very much depends on certain geographies and demographics. Certain geographies and demographic cohorts continue to see lowerthan average levels of insurance.
Below, you will find the most uninsured states in the United States based on the most recent Census data.
On the map
The most uninsured states in America, mapped
Source: HomeSnacks
The verdict
So what’s the most uninsured state in America for 2026?
Geographiclly, the Northeast has some of the lowest levels of people without insurance led by Massachusetts. The south has continued to see relatively elevated levels of people without insurance with Texas being the state with the highest percentage of uninsured.
Demographically, men, people iving in relative poverty, and people of color continue to see insured rates lower than women, people with higher incomes, and the white population, respectively. Men have uninsurance rates about three percentage points higher than women. People who make under 200% of the federal poverty line have uninsured rates at least twice as high as the overall population. And the Black, Hispanic, and Native American population have rates of uninsured that are 30%+ higher than the white population.
Read below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your state ranked. Or check out more on the cheapest states in America.
Saturday Night Science
Uninsured By State Methodology
To determine the number of uninsured people by state, we used the most recent American Community Survey Table B27010: TYPES OF HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE BY AGE. In particular, we looked at the percent of CIVILIAN NONINSTITUTIONALIZED POPULATION without insurance.
The full plate
Number And Percent Uninsured By State: Table
Click any column to sort. Search by state name.
| Rank | State | % Uninsured | Uninsured Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas | 17.1% | 5,065,007 |
| 2 | Oklahoma | 12.8% | 505,606 |
| 3 | Georgia | 12.3% | 1,325,610 |
| 4 | Florida | 11.5% | 2,537,393 |
| 5 | Nevada | 11.4% | 357,242 |
| 6 | Wyoming | 11.3% | 64,532 |
| 7 | Mississippi | 11.0% | 317,412 |
| 8 | Alaska | 11.0% | 77,434 |
| 9 | Arizona | 10.5% | 760,185 |
| 10 | Tennessee | 10.0% | 697,363 |
| 11 | North Carolina | 9.8% | 1,034,019 |
| 12 | South Carolina | 9.6% | 499,846 |
| 13 | New Mexico | 9.6% | 199,069 |
| 14 | Alabama | 9.2% | 458,681 |
| 15 | Idaho | 9.0% | 172,360 |
| 16 | Arkansas | 9.0% | 269,411 |
| 17 | South Dakota | 9.0% | 79,791 |
| 18 | Kansas | 8.7% | 252,340 |
| 19 | Missouri | 8.7% | 532,377 |
| 20 | Montana | 8.5% | 93,969 |
| 21 | Utah | 8.4% | 282,550 |
| 22 | Louisiana | 7.8% | 352,772 |
| 23 | Colorado | 7.7% | 444,820 |
| 24 | New Jersey | 7.4% | 688,326 |
| 25 | Indiana | 7.3% | 495,964 |
| 26 | Nebraska | 7.1% | 139,013 |
| 27 | Virginia | 6.9% | 582,946 |
| 28 | Illinois | 6.8% | 853,597 |
| 29 | California | 6.5% | 2,541,712 |
| 30 | North Dakota | 6.4% | 49,417 |
| 31 | Ohio | 6.4% | 743,187 |
| 32 | Washington | 6.3% | 485,389 |
| 33 | Delaware | 6.3% | 63,247 |
| 34 | Maryland | 6.2% | 379,850 |
| 35 | Maine | 6.2% | 84,438 |
| 36 | Kentucky | 6.0% | 267,075 |
| 37 | West Virginia | 6.0% | 104,553 |
| 38 | Oregon | 5.9% | 246,787 |
| 39 | Pennsylvania | 5.6% | 718,861 |
| 40 | Connecticut | 5.3% | 190,717 |
| 41 | New Hampshire | 5.2% | 72,172 |
| 42 | Wisconsin | 5.2% | 305,635 |
| 43 | New York | 5.0% | 986,480 |
| 44 | Iowa | 5.0% | 157,723 |
| 45 | Michigan | 4.9% | 488,475 |
| 46 | Minnesota | 4.7% | 264,201 |
| 47 | Rhode Island | 4.4% | 47,357 |
| 48 | Vermont | 3.9% | 25,035 |
| 49 | Hawaii | 3.6% | 49,278 |
| 50 | Massachusetts | 2.6% | 178,893 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024, Table B27010.
Conclusion
The rate of uninsured has decreased over the past five years of data, meaning the number of people with insurance has been increasing.
The states with the highest uninused rate are Texas, Oklahoma, Georgia, Florida, Nevada, Wyoming, Mississippi, Alaska, Arizona, and Tennessee.
The states with the lowest uninused rate are Massachusetts, Hawaii, Vermont, Rhode Island, Minnesota, Michigan, Iowa, New York, Wisconsin, and New Hampshire.
The states in the Northeast have the lowest rate of the uninsured and the states in the midwest and south have the highest levels of uninsured. As, mostly red states, start to embrace expanded medicaid programs under Obamacare, we can expect the number of uninsured to continue to decrease over time.
