11% of U.S. adults were uninsured in 2024, Census data shows
A newly released report from the U.S. Census Bureau found that 8% of Americans completely lacked medical insurance in 2024—a number consistent with data from 2023.
In its annual look at health insurance coverage costs, the Census Bureau found that 92% of all people in the U.S. had some type of medical coverage in 2024, though the agency does not account for those who were insured only part of the year, nor those who lack full coverage.
Breaking down the numbers, private insurance—plans obtained through employment or bought by patients outright—was the dominant form of coverage at 66.1%, with 35.5% of Americans relying on public programs such as Medicaid and Medicare. The small overlap may mean patients switched plan types mid-year, moving from one or the other.
The bureau’s data shows that insurance obtained through employment is still the primary way Americans obtain coverage, accounting for a total of 53.8% of all those with insurance. Medicare came in second at 19.1%, followed by Medicaid at 17.8%.
Those who purchased their own health plan represented only 10.7% of all insured Americans.
In totality, the numbers show Medicaid enrollment declined slightly from 2023 to 2024, while the number of people covered through plans they purchased themselves saw a slight uptick.
Zooming in on the uninsured, it’s the extremely low rates among adults 65 and older that skew the statistics. According to Census Bureau data, nearly 100% of seniors are fully covered, largely thanks to Medicare. Younger adults—those 19 to 65—made up the largest cohort of uninsured individuals, with 11% completely lacking medical coverage in 2024.
For children, the number drops to 6% as most are covered by their parents’ plans or Medicaid.
In all cases, the number of uninsured individuals was lower in states that expanded Medicaid subsidies under provisions of the Affordable Care Act. Still, gaps remain where many working adults make too much money to qualify for subsidies, yet they are unable to afford the cost of premiums to pay for their own coverage.
"Working-age adults aged 19 to 64 may have different health insurance outcomes from other age groups because they do not qualify for certain programs intended for children, such as CHIP," the agency wrote in its report. "Some other programs, such as Medicare, are widely available to adults aged 65 and older, but working-age adults only qualify under limited circumstances."
Notably, the data does not include any figures from 2025, as those statistics will be tallied in the agency’s report to be released next year.
Rising premiums and Medicaid cuts on the horizon
According to a recent report by consulting firm Mercer, employer-sponsored insurance premiums are set for a record rise in 2026. Where there is typically a modest increase of 3% seen nationally, next year prices could spike between 6% and 9%.
In surveying 1,700 employers, Mercer found most plan to deploy cost-cutting measures to rein in inflation. However, much of the cost will likely still be passed onto employees, who in turn may see a reduction in benefits.
Given the Census Bureau's data that over half of all insured Americans get their coverage from work, it remains to be seen what data on insurance rates will look like in 2026 and beyond. Additionally, cuts to Medicaid passed as part of the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act are estimated to push millions of Americans off Medicaid over time, all of which will factor into future data on the number of uninsured.
The full 2024 analysis from the agency can be found here.
Chad is an award-winning writer and editor with over 15 years of experience working in media. He has a decade-long professional background in healthcare, working as a writer and in public relations.