Minnesota’s Uninsured Rate Reaches Highest Point Since 2017

March 12, 2026

New data shows that the state's uninsured rate increased from a historic low of 3.8% in 2023 to 5.8% in 2025, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) announced on March 10. This equates to approximately 116,000 more Minnesotans without health insurance. It is the highest uninsured rate for the state since 2017, reversing years of improvement in this area. 

"The sharp increase in uninsured Minnesotans over the past two years is deeply disturbing, as are the long-standing disparities in the uninsured rate by race/ethnicity and income that continue to persist,” said Minnesota Commissioner of Health Brooke Cunningham, MD, PhD. “For most people, healthcare is unaffordable without insurance. This results in delayed or deferred care and worse health outcomes, more medical debt for families, and increased rates of uncompensated care for health systems." 

According to survey data, the increased rate of uninsured Minnesotans appears to be driven by a decrease in public coverage, which dropped from 44.1% to 39.6%. The uninsurance rate among children also increased, rising from 2.7% in 2023 to 4.6% in 2025. 

Increases in the rate of uninsurance were seen across the state. Minnesotans living in metropolitan areas saw a significant surge in uninsurance (from 3.4% to 5.7% in 2025), as did Minnesotans living in rural areas (from 4.3% to 6.7% in 2025). 

Long-standing disparities in the state’s uninsurance rate by race/ethnicity and income are again reflected in the data. Hispanic Minnesotans continue to be the most likely to be without insurance coverage. More than 20% of the state’s Hispanic population report being uninsured – greater than three times the statewide rate and significantly higher than the 11.4% rate reported just two years ago. 

Additionally, Black and American Indian Minnesotans continued to report disproportionately high rates of uninsurance. The uninsurance rate among Black Minnesotans jumped from 6.3% to 10.1%, while American Indians saw uninsurance rates increased from 5.7% to 10.5%. While lower than the statewide rates, the uninsurance rates for White Minnesotans also saw a statistically significant increase (from 2.5% to 3.8%). 

According to researchers, people in Minnesota with lower incomes are more than twice as likely to be uninsured, with survey data showing 13% of people with an income below 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines being uninsured in 2025. 

Concerns over losing health insurance coverage continue to weigh heavily on Minnesotans. More than 12% of insured Minnesotans said they are worried about losing coverage, a statistically significant increase from 7.7% in 2023. The share of these Minnesotans expressing anxiety over rising costs and coverage becoming too expensive jumped more than 10 percentage points in the latest data (28.8% in 2025 compared to 17.5% in 2023). 

The Minnesota Health Access Survey is a biennial state-based population survey that collects information on Minnesotans’ health insurance coverage and healthcare access. The survey measures how many people in Minnesota have health insurance and how easy it is for them to get healthcare. The survey is conducted as a partnership between MDH and SHADAC, which is part of the Health Policy and Management Division of the School of Public Health at the University of Minnesota. The survey had responses from more the 16,000 Minnesotans across the state and was conducted between September and December 2025. Click here for more information.