2017’s City Uninsured Rates

The national uninsured rate is on an upward trend this year, following a record low of 8.6 percent in the first quarter of 2016, according to a survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But how widely do the rates differ from city to city?

With U.S. health-care reform still in limbo, WalletHub’s analysts measured the uninsured rates for 547 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. Read on for the complete ranking, a ranking by city size and a full description of our methodology.

Main Findings

 

Note: Overall rank based on 2016 uninsured rates.

Rankings by City Size

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

 

Methodology

In order to measure the rates of uninsured by city, WalletHub’s analysts compared the overall insurance rates in 547 U.S. cities in 2016 using U.S. Census Bureau data. In addition to comparing the overall insurance rates, we examined the city rates 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 the change in uninsured rate refers to the difference between the percentages of uninsured in 2016 and 2010. A small change in the absolute difference does not necessarily indicate a negative outcome, as the percentage of uninsured people pre-Obamacare may have already been low to start with.

In collecting 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-size guidelines:

• 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.