2016’s City Uninsured Rates

The national uninsured rate today sits a record low of 8.6 percent, according to a survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But how widely do the rates differ from city to city?

In anticipation of the presidential debates, in which Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are likely to clash on ideas for health-care reform, WalletHub’s analysts measured the uninsured rates for 548 U.S. cities and broke them down even further by age, income level and race. In addition, we conducted the same analysis at the state level. Continue reading below for our findings, additional expert insight and a full description of our methodology.

Main Findings

 

Note: Overall rank based on the 2015 uninsured rates (Rank 1 = Smallest).

Rankings by City Size

 

Rank	Large City Name		Rank	Midsize City Name		Rank	Small City Name
1	Boston, MA		1	Cambridge, MA		1	Pleasanton, CA
2	Washington, DC		2	Naperville, IL		2	Newton, MA
3	Seattle, WA		3	Highlands Ranch, CO		3	Fishers, IN
4	Honolulu, HI		4	Fremont, CA		4	Quincy, MA
5	San Francisco, CA		5	Ann Arbor, MI		5	Milpitas, CA
6	Louisville, KY		6	Worcester, MA		6	Alameda, CA
7	San Jose, CA		7	The Woodlands, TX		7	Waldorf, MD
8	Pittsburgh, PA		8	Elk Grove, CA		8	Duluth, MN
9	Portland, OR		9	Centennial, CO		9	Troy, MI
10	Sacramento, CA		10	Carlsbad, CA		10	Livonia, MI
11	Lexington, KY		11	Berkeley, CA		11	Lee's Summit, MO
12	St. Paul, MN		12	Columbia, MD		12	San Ramon, CA
13	Stockton, CA		13	Overland Park, KS		13	Union City, CA
14	Bakersfield, CA		14	San Mateo, CA		14	Plymouth, MN
15	Baltimore, MD		15	Clovis, CA		15	Carmel, IN
16	Minneapolis, MN		16	Arvada, CO		16	Yorba Linda, CA
17	Colorado Springs, CO		17	Rochester, MN		17	Apple Valley, CA
18	Virginia Beach, VA		18	Boulder, CO		18	Bloomington, IL
19	Oakland, CA		19	Fairfield, CA		19	Folsom, CA
20	Cleveland, OH		20	Sunnyvale, CA		20	Brockton, MA
21	San Diego, CA		21	Scottsdale, AZ		21	Newport Beach, CA
22	New York, NY		22	Springfield, IL		22	St. Cloud, MN
23	Omaha, NE		23	Santa Clara, CA		23	Camarillo, CA
24	Albuquerque, NM		24	Madison, WI		24	Oshkosh, WI
25	Philadelphia, PA		25	Gilbert, AZ		25	Davis, CA
26	Columbus, OH		26	Vallejo, CA		26	New Bedford, MA
27	Fresno, CA		27	Davenport, IA		27	Ellicott City, MD
28	Long Beach, CA		28	Surprise, AZ		28	Evanston, IL
29	Milwaukee, WI		29	Springfield, MA		29	Cranston, RI
30	Detroit, MI		30	Spokane, WA		30	Arlington Heights, IL
31	Riverside, CA		31	Thousand Oaks, CA		31	Vacaville, CA
32	Chicago, IL		32	Lowell, MA		32	Appleton, WI
33	Atlanta, GA		33	Peoria, IL		33	Redondo Beach, CA
34	Raleigh, NC		34	Fort Collins, CO		34	Lynn, MA
35	Denver, CO		35	Cary, NC		35	Champaign, IL
36	New Orleans, LA		36	Buffalo, NY		36	Turlock, CA
37	Jacksonville, FL		37	Rancho Cucamonga, CA		37	Warwick, RI
38	Kansas City, MO		38	Irvine, CA		38	Livermore, CA
39	St. Louis, MO		39	Roseville, CA		39	Cheektowaga, NY
40	Indianapolis, IN		40	Temecula, CA		40	Santa Monica, CA
41	Tampa, FL		41	Torrance, CA		41	Lawrence, MA
42	Nashville, TN		42	Cedar Rapids, IA		42	Flower Mound, TX
43	Tucson, AZ		43	Hillsboro, OR		43	Somerville, MA
44	Aurora, CO		44	Lancaster, CA		44	Redlands, CA
45	Charlotte, NC		45	Columbia, MO		45	Goodyear, AZ
46	Los Angeles, CA		46	Daly City, CA		46	Mission Viejo, CA
47	Mesa, AZ		47	Syracuse, NY		47	Farmington Hills, MI
48	Las Vegas, NV		48	Hayward, CA		48	Schaumburg, IL
49	Anaheim, CA		49	Arlington, VA		49	Eau Claire, WI
50	Phoenix, AZ		50	Modesto, CA		50	Mountain View, CA
51	Oklahoma City, OK		51	Bellevue, WA		51	Redwood City, CA
52	Wichita, KS		52	Huntington Beach, CA		52	Bloomington, MN
53	Memphis, TN		53	Salem, OR		53	Upland, CA
54	Austin, TX		54	Henderson, NV		54	Parma, OH
55	San Antonio, TX		55	Antioch, CA		55	Tracy, CA
56	Corpus Christi, TX		56	Clarksville, TN		56	Mount Pleasant, SC
57	Tulsa, OK		57	Simi Valley, CA		57	Waukesha, WI
58	Arlington, TX		58	Murrieta, CA		58	Manteca, CA
59	Fort Worth, TX		59	Greeley, CO		59	Racine, WI
60	Santa Ana, CA		60	Chesapeake, VA		60	O'Fallon, MO
61	El Paso, TX		61	Rochester, NY		61	Citrus Heights, CA
62	Miami, FL		62	Burbank, CA		62	Chino Hills, CA
63	Houston, TX		63	Peoria, AZ		63	Southfield, MI
64	Dallas, TX		64	Chula Vista, CA		64	Toms River, NJ
			65	Lakewood, CO		65	League City, TX
			66	Warren, MI		66	Bellingham, WA
			67	Westminster, CO		67	Kalamazoo, MI
			68	Frisco, TX		68	Spokane Valley, WA
			69	Olathe, KS		69	San Leandro, CA
			70	Victorville, CA		70	Jacksonville, NC
			71	Eugene, OR		71	Germantown, MD
			72	Fargo, ND		72	Johns Creek, GA
			73	San Buenaventura (Ventura), CA		73	Erie, PA
			74	Cincinnati, OH		74	Westminster, CA
			75	Concord, CA		75	Longmont, CO
			76	Vancouver, WA		76	Hoover, AL
			77	Renton, WA		77	Lakewood, CA
			78	Glendale, CA		78	Wilmington, DE
			79	Rockford, IL		79	Westland, MI
			80	Visalia, CA		80	Rochester Hills, MI
			81	Pueblo, CO		81	Auburn, WA
			82	Topeka, KS		82	Menifee, CA
			83	Santa Clarita, CA		83	Nashua, NH
			84	Santa Rosa, CA		84	New Britain, CT
			85	Enterprise, NV		85	Fall River, MA
			86	Toledo, OH		86	Decatur, IL
			87	Des Moines, IA		87	Whittier, CA
			88	El Cajon, CA		88	Carson, CA
			89	Tempe, AZ		89	Missouri City, TX
			90	Lansing, MI		90	Frederick, MD
			91	Pearland, TX		91	Portland, ME
			92	West Covina, CA		92	Atascocita, TX
			93	Lincoln, NE		93	Kenosha, WI
			94	Chandler, AZ		94	Sugar Land, TX
			95	Joliet, IL		95	Napa, CA
			96	Pasadena, CA		96	Bethlehem, PA
			97	Gainesville, FL		97	Fayetteville, AR
			98	Sterling Heights, MI		98	Redding, CA
			99	Sandy Springs, GA		99	Tuscaloosa, AL
			100	Dayton, OH		100	Loveland, CO
			101	Sioux Falls, SD		101	Meridian, ID
			102	Yonkers, NY		102	Sioux City, IA
			103	College Station, TX		103	Chico, CA
			104	Tallahassee, FL		104	Merced, CA
			105	Fullerton, CA		105	Pawtucket, RI
			106	Akron, OH		106	Brooklyn Park, MN
			107	Corona, CA		107	Rio Rancho, NM
			108	Charleston, SC		108	Dearborn, MI
			109	Thornton, CO		109	Lake Forest, CA
			110	Orange, CA		110	Allen, TX
			111	McKinney, TX		111	St. Charles, MO
			112	Grand Rapids, MI		112	Flint, MI
			113	Evansville, IN		113	Youngstown, OH
			114	Columbia, SC		114	Weston, FL
			115	Green Bay, WI		115	Canton, OH
			116	Broken Arrow, OK		116	Beaverton, OR
			117	Everett, WA		117	Edmond, OK
			118	Newport News, VA		118	Iowa City, IA
			119	Palmdale, CA		119	Sandy, UT
			120	Tacoma, WA		120	Arden-Arcade, CA
			121	Little Rock, AR		121	Alhambra, CA
			122	Reno, NV		122	Schenectady, NY
			123	Kent, WA		123	Suffolk, VA
			124	Fayetteville, NC		124	Jackson, TN
			125	Round Rock, TX		125	Framingham, MA
			126	Gresham, OR		126	Federal Way, WA
			127	Pembroke Pines, FL		127	Bend, OR
			128	Palm Bay, FL		128	Albany, NY
			129	Oceanside, CA		129	Kennewick, WA
			130	Elgin, IL		130	Rock Hill, SC
			131	Garden Grove, CA		131	Bolingbrook, IL
			132	Stamford, CT		132	Chino, CA
			133	Hampton, VA		133	Skokie, IL
			134	Norman, OK		134	Pittsburg, CA
			135	Hartford, CT		135	Scranton, PA
			136	Providence, RI		136	Lorain, OH
			137	Boise, ID		137	Lawrence, KS
			138	Las Cruces, NM		138	Avondale, AZ
			139	Chattanooga, TN		139	Wyoming, MI
			140	Plano, TX		140	Concord, NC
			141	Murfreesboro, TN		141	Missoula, MT
			142	Manchester, NH		142	Buena Park, CA
			143	Waterbury, CT		143	Tustin, CA
			144	Lakeland, FL		144	Medford, OR
			145	Knoxville, TN		145	Hemet, CA
			146	Fort Wayne, IN		146	Hesperia, CA
			147	Provo, UT		147	San Marcos, CA
			148	Richmond, CA		148	Dothan, AL
			149	Jackson, MS		149	Centreville, VA
			150	West Jordan, UT		150	Mount Vernon, NY
			151	Billings, MT		151	Kendall, FL
			152	Ontario, CA		152	Santa Barbara, CA
			153	Costa Mesa, CA		153	Clifton, NJ
			154	Brandon, FL		154	St. Joseph, MO
			155	St. Petersburg, FL		155	San Tan Valley, AZ
			156	Huntsville, AL		156	Sparks, NV
			157	Norwalk, CA		157	Flagstaff, AZ
			158	Salinas, CA		158	Gastonia, NC
			159	Baton Rouge, LA		159	New Rochelle, NY
			160	Fontana, CA		160	Alafaya, FL
			161	Killeen, TX		161	Roswell, GA
			162	Wilmington, NC		162	Muncie, IN
			163	Metairie, LA		163	Temple, TX
			164	Montgomery, AL		164	Indio, CA
			165	Spring Hill, FL		165	Boca Raton, FL
			166	Spring Valley, NV		166	Waterloo, IA
			167	Anchorage, AK		167	Portsmouth, VA
			168	Pomona, CA		168	Bloomington, IN
			169	Columbus, GA		169	Plantation, FL
			170	Winston-Salem, NC		170	Silver Spring, MD
			171	Mobile, AL		171	Asheville, NC
			172	Glendale, AZ		172	Baldwin Park, CA
			173	Miramar, FL		173	Bellflower, CA
			174	South Bend, IN		174	North Richland Hills, TX
			175	Greensboro, NC		175	Fort Smith, AR
			176	Moreno Valley, CA		176	Lynchburg, VA
			177	Independence, MO		177	Deltona, FL
			178	Aurora, IL		178	Roanoke, VA
			179	San Bernardino, CA		179	Camden, NJ
			180	Allentown, PA		180	Jonesboro, AR
			181	Lafayette, LA		181	Hammond, IN
			182	Abilene, TX		182	Riverview, FL
			183	Downey, CA		183	Lake Charles, LA
			184	Alexandria, VA		184	Palm Coast, FL
			185	Augusta, GA		185	Palatine, IL
			186	Vista, CA		186	Greenville, NC
			187	Port St. Lucie, FL		187	Warner Robins, GA
			188	Davie, FL		188	Yuma, AZ
			189	Birmingham, AL		189	Perris, CA
			190	High Point, NC		190	Santa Fe, NM
			191	Salt Lake City, UT		191	Layton, UT
			192	Shreveport, LA		192	Lawton, OK
			193	Jersey City, NJ		193	Compton, CA
			194	Richmond, VA		194	Springdale, AR
			195	Rialto, CA		195	Reading, PA
			196	Norfolk, VA		196	Yakima, WA
			197	Coral Springs, FL		197	Largo, FL
			198	Macon, GA		198	Rapid City, SD
			199	Escondido, CA		199	Town 'n' Country, FL
			200	Bridgeport, CT		200	Melbourne, FL
			201	Durham, NC		201	Nampa, ID
			202	New Haven, CT		202	Gary, IN
			203	Carrollton, TX		203	Orem, UT
			204	Lubbock, TX		204	East Orange, NJ
			205	Wichita Falls, TX		205	Lafayette, IN
			206	Fort Lauderdale, FL		206	Deerfield Beach, FL
			207	Springfield, MO		207	Lynwood, CA
			208	Tyler, TX		208	Waukegan, IL
			209	Clearwater, FL		209	St. George, UT
			210	Richardson, TX		210	South Gate, CA
			211	Athens, GA		211	Hawthorne, CA
			212	Inglewood, CA		212	Sunrise, FL
			213	West Valley City, UT		213	Fort Myers, FL
			214	Midland, TX		214	Dale City, VA
			215	Denton, TX		215	Lauderhill, FL
			216	Paterson, NJ		216	Gulfport, MS
			217	Waco, TX		217	Trenton, NJ
			218	San Angelo, TX		218	Boynton Beach, FL
			219	North Charleston, SC		219	Harlingen, TX
			220	West Palm Beach, FL		220	Ogden, UT
			221	Amarillo, TX		221	Albany, GA
			222	North Las Vegas, NV		222	Bryan, TX
			223	Oxnard, CA		223	Kenner, LA
			224	Hollywood, FL		224	Norwalk, CT
			225	Orlando, FL		225	Passaic, NJ
			226	Odessa, TX		226	Miami Beach, FL
			227	East Los Angeles, CA		227	Cicero, IL
			228	Cape Coral, FL		228	Danbury, CT
			229	Grand Prairie, TX		229	Baytown, TX
			230	Sunrise Manor, NV		230	Longview, TX
			231	Paradise, NV		231	Mission, TX
			232	Newark, NJ		232	Edinburg, TX
			233	Lewisville, TX		233	Union City, NJ
			234	Kansas City, KS		234	Pharr, TX
			235	Irving, TX
			236	Savannah, GA
			237	Pompano Beach, FL
			238	El Monte, CA
			239	Lehigh Acres, FL
			240	Miami Gardens, FL
			241	Hialeah, FL
			242	Beaumont, TX
			243	Garland, TX
			244	Santa Maria, CA
			245	Mesquite, TX
			246	Pasadena, TX
			247	McAllen, TX

Methodology

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, we compared the cities based on age, race/ethnicity and income level.

An overall rank of No. 1 corresponds with the city with the lowest uninsured rate. When viewing our findings in the above tables, please note that absolute difference refers to the difference between the percentage of uninsured and insured in 2015 and 2010. A small change in the absolute difference is not necessarily a bad thing, as the percentage of uninsured people pre-Obamacare may have already been low to start with.

In determining our sample, we considered only the “city proper” in each case and excluded cities in the surrounding metro area. We then categorized each city according to the following population sizes:

• Large cities: More than 300,000 people
• Midsize cities: 100,000 to 300,000 people
• Small cities: Fewer than 100,000 people

Health Insurance Rate by Age Group

• Health Insurance Rate for Children (Aged 0 to 17)
• Health Insurance Rate for Adults (Aged 18 & Older)

Health Insurance Rate by Race/Ethnicity

• Health Insurance Rate for Whites
• Health Insurance Rate for Black or African Americans
• Health Insurance Rate for Hispanic or Latino

Health Insurance Rate by Household Income

• Health Insurance Rate for Lower-Income Households ($50,000 or less)
• Health Insurance Rate for Higher-Income Households ($100,000 or more)

 

Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.