Texas covers 261,797 square miles, with a 2021 estimated population of 29,527,941 people – 3,035,014 living in rural Texas (USDA-ERS). It ranks second among U.S. states in both area and population. Austin, the capital, is located in the south-central region of the state. The state's largest cities are Houston, San Antonio, and Dallas. According to 2021 data from the U.S. Census Bureau, an estimated 77.9% of the state's population is White, 13.2% is African-American, 5.5% is Asian, 1.1% is American Indian or Alaska Native, 0.2% is Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and 40.2% is of Hispanic or Latino origin.

Texas Rural Healthcare Facilities

Selected Social Determinants of Health for Rural Texas

17.5% of Texas residents lack health insurance (Kaiser, 2020). According to the USDA Economic Research Service, the average per capita income for Texans in 2020 was $55,129, with the rural per capita income at $45,120. The ERS reports, based on 2020 ACS data, that the poverty rate in rural Texas is 15.8%, compared with 13.2% in urban areas of the state. 18.9% of the rural population has not completed high school, while 15.2% of the urban population lacks a high school diploma according to 2016-2020 ACS data reported by ERS. The unemployment rate in rural Texas is 6.0%, and in urban Texas it is 5.6% (USDA-ERS, 2021).

Texas State Office of Rural Health
Phone: 512.936.6730
Email: RuralHealth@TexasAgriculture.gov
Works with local health care providers, county leaders, and state partners to support access to quality health care for rural Texans. Assists rural health providers through a variety of programs including information and referral, assistance with medical license applications, grants and educational awards for individual clinicians, health care institutions, and other organizations.
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