The U.S. Census Bureau has reported that the percentage of people under 65 without health insurance fell in 194 counties and rose in 85 counties from 2022 to 2023, based on new data from the Small Area Health Insurance Estimates (SAHIE) program.
SAHIE provides annual county-level estimates for health insurance coverage among those under age 65, broken down by sex, age group, and income levels relevant to state and federal assistance programs like Medicaid. Statewide figures also include breakdowns by race and Hispanic origin.
According to the latest SAHIE release, an estimated 1,455 U.S. counties—about 46.3%—had uninsured rates below 10% in 2023. This is an increase from 45.2% of counties in 2022 and up from 39.2% in 2021.
Other findings include a slight decrease in the median county uninsured rate, which was 9.3% in 2023 compared to 9.4% the previous year and down from 10.4% in 2021. For working-age adults (ages 18 to 64), uninsured rates declined in 182 counties but increased in another 51. Among children ages 0 to 18, rates decreased in only 27 counties while rising in 89.
The data also show that working-age women had lower estimated uninsured rates than men of the same age group in about two-thirds (62%) of counties surveyed.
For adults living at or below 138% of the poverty level—a threshold often used for Medicaid eligibility—the median county uninsured rate dropped to 17.7%, continuing a downward trend from previous years.
Interactive data tools are available at www.census.gov/data-tools/demo/sahie for users interested in exploring custom tables, maps, and time-trend charts covering different demographic groups across all U.S. states and counties since 2006.
“SAHIE is the only source for single-year estimates of people under age 65 with health insurance in each of the nation’s 3,143 counties. The county statistics are provided by sex and age groups and at income levels reflecting thresholds for state and federal assistance programs, such as Medicaid eligibility. State estimates also include health coverage by race and Hispanic origin.”
###
