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.
Questions and answers
Most Uninsured States FAQs
What state has the highest uninsured rate?
Texas is the most uninsured state in America for 2026, with the highest share of residents lacking health insurance. Oklahoma and Georgia are next.
What are the top 10 most uninsured states?
The most uninsured states in the United States for 2026 are Texas, Oklahoma, Georgia, Florida, Nevada, Wyoming, Mississippi, Alaska, Arizona, and Tennessee. We ranked all 50 states by their percent of residents without health insurance.
What state has the lowest uninsured rate?
Massachusetts is the most insured state in the country, sitting dead last on the uninsured ranking. The full ordering of all 50 states is in the table above.
Where does the insurance data come from?
The share of residents without health insurance comes from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. One number per state, ranked highest to lowest.
Does uninsured mean no healthcare?
Not exactly — it counts people without insurance coverage, not people who never see a doctor. What it does measure is who is exposed to the full bill when something goes wrong.
