McAllen Has The Highest Uninsured Rate In Texas

The uninsured rate is a staggering 29.7% in the most uninsured Texas metro.

McAllen, Texas, “the most expensive town in the most expensive country for health care in the world” also has the distinction of having the highest uninsured population of any city in Texas.

Nearly 1 in 5 Americans Without Health Insurance Live in Texas

Written byMaggie Davis – Published Sep 2, 2025

Everything is bigger in Texas — including uninsured rates. In fact, 18.1% of Americans without health insurance live in the Lone Star State.

Here’s a closer look at the demographics and metros with the highest uninsured rates in Texas.

Key findings

  • Texas has the highest rate of residents without health insurance. 5.1 million Texans — 17.4% of its population — don’t have health insurance. That’s about double the national uninsured rate of 8.6%. Overall, 18.1% of uninsured Americans live in Texas.
  • In every age group, Texas has higher uninsured rates than the national average. 11.8% of children 18 or younger are uninsured — more than twice the national rate of 5.4% for this age range. Among adults 19 to 64, 23.2% of Texans don’t have health insurance, compared with 12.0% nationwide.
  • Low-income and immigrant Texans face steep insurance gaps. More than 1 in 4 (26.1%) Texans in households earning $25,000 to $49,999 are uninsured, compared with 10.1% in those earning $100,000-plus. And 34.5% of the foreign-born population doesn’t have insurance, well above the 13.8% among native-born Americans in Texas.
  • By metro, McAllen has the highest uninsured rate. Its uninsured rate is 29.7%, ahead of Laredo (28.4%) and Brownsville (26.7%). Even in major metros, rates are high: 18.7% in Houston, 16.3% in Dallas and 12.1% in Austin. The Texas metro with the lowest uninsured rate — College Station, at 11.9% — is still 56th nationwide.
  • Most uninsured Texans are part of the workforce, but many still struggle to afford coverage. Among uninsured residents 16 and older, 70.0% are in the labor force. The average employee contribution for family coverage in the state is $7,391 annually (or $142 a week) — 7.3% higher than the national average.

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