Massachusetts has lowest rate of uninsured residents, Texas highest in rankings by WalletHub

As we are in the midst of Open Enrollment, it seems like a good time to share a recent analysis of 2016 Uninsured Rates by City and State, courtesy of personal finance website WalletHub to get a look at which cities and states have the biggest concentrations of insured or uninsured residents.

The national uninsured rate for health insurance today stands a record low of 8.6%, according to a survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But obviously there is a wide disparity between different cities and states – including a disparity in uninsured rates for states that have expanded Medicaid compared to those that have not.

In order to measure the rates of uninsured by city, WalletHub’s analysts compared the overall insurance rates in 548 U.S. cities in 2015 using U.S. Census Bureau data. In addition to the overall insurance rate, the research compared the cities based on age, race/ethnicity and income level. An overall rank of No. 1 corresponds with the city or state with the lowest uninsured rate.

Texas is a runaway winner as the state with the highest rate of uninsured residents, making it no surprise that 8 of the 10 cities with the highest rate of uninsured residents are in the Lone Star state, with Pharr, Texas having the distinction of being the city with the highest rate of uninsured residents at a whopping 33.68%.

Only Elizabeth, N.J. (25.66%) and Union City, N.J. (26.41%) kept Texas from a clean sweep of the 10 cities with the highest rate of uninsured residents.

Among large cities (more than 300,000 people), Boston, Washington DC and Seattle had the lowest uninsured rates for residents while Miami, Houston and Dallas were the big cities with the highest uninsured resident rates.

Here are some highlights from the reports:

10 States with the Lowest Uninsured Rates

1. Massachusetts (2.82%)
2. Vermont (3.82%)
3. Hawaii (3.97%)
4. Minnesota (4.51%)
5. Iowa (5.03%)
6. Wisconsin (5.66%)
7. Rhode Island (5.71%)
8. Delaware (5.85%)
9. Connecticut (5.95%)
10. West Virginia (5.95%)

10 States with the Highest Uninsured Rates

1. Wyoming (11.53%)
2. Montana (11.65%)
3. Louisiana (11.95%)
4. Nevada (12.28%)
5. Mississippi (12.69%)
6. Florida (13.33%)
7. Georgia (13.85%)
8. Oklahoma (13.90%)
9. Alaska (14.86%)
10. Texas (17.10%)

Full List: https://wallethub.com/edu/uninsured-rates-by-state/4800/

10 Cities with the Lowest Uninsured Rates

1. Pleasanton, CA (1.17%)
2. Cambridge, MA (1.30%)
3. Naperville, IL (1.44%)
4. Highlands Ranch, CO (1.45%)
5. Newton, MA (1.47%)
6. Fishers, IN (1.57%)
7. Quincy, MA (1.62%)
8. Milpitas, CA (1.98%)
9. Alameda, CA (2.20%)
10. Waldorf, MD (2.33%)

10 Cities with the Highest Uninsured Rates

539. Mesquite, TX (23.88%)

540. Pasadena, TX (24.64%)

541. Mission, TX (24.75%)

542. Edinburg, TX (24.76%)

543. McAllen, TX (25.05%)

544. Elizabeth, NJ (25.66%)

545. Laredo, TX (26.01%)

546. Union City, NJ (26.41%)

547. Brownsville, TX (29.36%)

548. Pharr, TX (33.68%)

Full List: https://wallethub.com/edu/uninsured-rates-by-city/25030/

• Thoughts or comments on these rankings? Please visit: Report ranks most uninsured cities, states