Texas

Texas covers 261,797 square miles, with a 2016 estimated population of 27,862,596 people – 3,055,173 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 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 404 hospitals in Texas (Kaiser, 2015). The state has 81 hospitals identified as Critical Access Hospitals (Flex Team, 2/2017). There are 299 Rural Health Clinics in Texas (CMS, 2016), and 73 Federally Qualified Health Centers provide services at 447 sites in the state (NACHC, 2015).

Selected Social Determinants of Health for Rural Texas

16% of Texas residents lack health insurance (Kaiser, 2015). According to the USDA Economic Research Service, the average per-capita income for Texans in 2015 was $46,947, although rural per-capita income lagged at $38,996. The ERS reports, based on 2015 ACS data, that the poverty rate in rural Texas is 17.8%, compared with 15.6% in urban areas of the state. 21.9% of the rural population has not completed high school, while 17.5% of the urban population lacks a high school diploma according to 2011-2015 ACS data reported by ERS. The unemployment rate in rural Texas is 5.6%, and in urban Texas it is 4.5% (USDA-ERS, 2016).

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.