Table 41
Percent of Population Without Health Insurance, 1999
Rank	State	Amt.		Rank	State	Amt.
1	New Mexico	25.8%		27	Virginia	14.1%
2	Texas	23.3%		28	New Jersey	13.4%
3	Louisiana	22.5%		29	Vermont	12.3%
4	Arizona	21.2%		30	Kansas	12.1%
5	Nevada	20.7%		31	Maine	11.9%
6	California	20.3%		32	Maryland	11.8%
7	Florida	19.2%		33	North Dakota	11.8%
8	Alaska	19.1%		34	South Dakota	11.8%
9	Idaho	19.1%		35	Tennessee	11.5%
10	Montana	18.6%		36	Delaware	11.4%
11	South Carolina	17.6%		37	Michigan	11.2%
12	Oklahoma	17.5%		38	Hawaii	11.1%
13	West Virginia	17.1%		39	Ohio	11.0%
14	Colorado	16.8%		40	Wisconsin	11.0%
15	Mississippi	16.6%		41	Indiana	10.8%
16	NEW YORK	16.4%		42	Nebraska	10.8%
17	Georgia	16.1%		43	Massachusetts	10.5%
18	Wyoming	16.1%		44	New Hampshire	10.2%
19	Washington	15.8%		45	Connecticut	9.8%
20	North Carolina	15.4%		46	Pennsylvania	9.4%
21	Arkansas	14.7%		47	Missouri	8.6%
22	Oregon	14.6%		48	Iowa	8.3%
23	Kentucky	14.5%		49	Minnesota	8.0%
24	Alabama	14.3%		50	Rhode Island	6.9%
25	Utah	14.2%		U.S. average		15.5%
26	Illinois	14.1%		N.Y.S. % above avg.		5.8%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau http://www.census.gov/hhes/hlthins/hlthin99/hi99te.html
As New York's economy has improved, the proportion of residents who lack health insurance has improved; it was 17.5% in 1997.