On Tuesday, the Census released data from the Current Population Survey on the share of the US population uninsured – at 15.4 percent. Today, the Census released data from the American Communities Survey, which provides a far more detailed analysis of what is happening across the country. As shown in the map below, there is a high level of variation in the share of the population uninsured. It ranges from 3.9 percent in Massachusetts up to more than 20 percent in Florida, Alaska, Nevada, and Texas.

Hopefully, as the health insurance exchanges as part of the Affordable Care Act start accepting applications for insurance next month, many people will find affordable insurance and the numbers of uninsured Americans will fall. Unfortunately, many states which have the highest uninsurance rates are the same ones who are not stepping in to establish exchanges for their populations. Fortunately, the federal government is stepping in and people across the country will feel relief soon.