Texas
Texas covers 261,797 square miles, with a 2017 estimated population of 28,304,596 people – 3,061,090 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 2016 data from the U.S. Census Bureau, 79.4% of the state’s population is white, 12.6% is African-American, 4.8% is Asian, 1.0% is American Indian or Alaska Native, 0.1% is Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and 39.1% is of Hispanic or Latino origin.
Texas Rural Healthcare Facilities
There are 403 hospitals in Texas (Kaiser, 2016). The state has 84 hospitals identified as Critical Access Hospitals (Flex Team, 4/2018). There are 305 Rural Health Clinics in Texas (CMS, 2017), and 73 Federally Qualified Health Centers provide services at 466 sites in the state (NACHC, 2016).
Selected Social Determinants of Health for Rural Texas
15% of Texas residents lack health insurance (Kaiser, 2016). According to the USDA Economic Research Service, the average per-capita income for Texans in 2016 was $46,274, although rural per-capita income lagged at $37,629. The ERS reports, based on 2016 ACS data, that the poverty rate in rural Texas is 18.1%, compared with 15.3% in urban areas of the state. 21.5% of the rural population has not completed high school, while 17.1% of the urban population lacks a high school diploma according to 2012-2016 ACS data reported by ERS. The unemployment rate in rural Texas is 4.8%, and in urban Texas it is 4.2% (USDA-ERS, 2017).
For a national comparison, please see an overview of the United States.
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
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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There are more organizations related to Texas in the organizations section.
Last Reviewed: 12/9/2016