Texas

Texas is referred to as "The Lone Star State" that is symbolized by the star on the 1836 flag of the republic. It is a reminder of the state's struggle for independence from Mexico. Texas is the top producer of oil in the nation, but it also leads in beef production, cotton production as well as the space industry and technology. Texas covers 261,797 square miles, with a 2015 estimated population of 27,469,114 people – 3,048,574 living in rural Texas (USDA-ERS). Austin, the capital, is located in the south-central region of the state. The state’s largest cities are Houston, Dallas and San Antonio. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 79.7% of the state’s population is white, 12.5% Black/African American, 4.7% is Asian, and 38.8% is of Hispanic/Latino origin (U.S. Census, 2015).

Texas Rural Healthcare Facilities

There are 417 hospitals in Texas (Kaiser, 2014), 149 of which are located in rural areas (North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center, Dec. 2008). The state has 79 hospitals identified as Critical Access Hospitals (Flex Team 12/2015). There are 300 Rural Health Clinics in Texas (CMS, 2015), and 70 Federally Qualified Health Centers provide services at 401 sites in the state (NACHC, 2014).

Selected Social Determinants of Health for Rural Texas

Most Texans have some form of health insurance coverage, although 17% of its residents lack health insurance (Kaiser, 2014). According to the USDA Economic Research Service, the average per-capita income for Texans in 2014 was $45,669, although rural per-capita income lagged at $38,046. The ERS reports, based on 2010-2014 ACS data, that the poverty rate in rural Texas is 19.6%, compared with 17.4% in urban areas of the state. 22.3% of the rural population has not completed high school, while 17.9% of the urban population lacks a high school diploma according to 2010-2014 ACS data reported by ERS. The unemployment rate in rural Texas is 5.2% and in urban Texas is 4.4% (USDA-ERS, 2015).

Data Sources
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services: Rural Health Clinic List; Flex Monitoring Team: Critical Access Hospital List; Kaiser Family Foundation State Health Facts; National Association of Community Health Centers: Key Health Center Data By State; U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts; USDA Economic Research Service: State Fact Sheets

Contacts

There are more organizations related to Texas in the organizations section.