Shondelle Wilson-Frederick, Ph.D.; Tracy Branch, M.P.A.S., PA-C; 

Munira Gunja, M.P.H.; Wendy Lee, M.P.H.; Minh Wendt, Ph.D., and Rashida Dorsey, 

Ph.D., M.P.H. 

Overview

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Minority Health (OMH) is committed 

to improving the health of racial and ethnic minorities and eliminating disparities in health and health care. 

This year marks both the 30th anniversary of the Report of the Secretary’s Task Force on Black and Minority 

Health (also known as the Heckler Report) and the 5th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act. The Heckler 

Report was the federal government’s first comprehensive study of the health status of minorities and led to 

the creation of the HHS Office of Minority Health. And with approximately 16.4 million uninsured 

Americans gaining health insurance coverage since the Affordable Care Act was enacted, the Affordable 

Care Act is one of the most significant pieces of legislation since the passage of Medicare and Medicaid

that will help reduce health disparities and advance health equity.

Since the first open enrollment period for the Health Insurance Marketplace in October 2013, the uninsured 

rate among males fell by 30 percent (6.6 percentage points) with 6.5 million men gaining coverage. Some 

of the largest improvements in reducing the ranks of the uninsured occurred among racial and ethnic 

minorities, with a drop of 9.2 percentage points among African Americans and 12.3 percentage points 

among Latinos. Under the Affordable Care Act, most health insurance plans are required to provide 

coverage for recommended preventive health care services without cost sharing. Today, 17 million Latinos, 

15 million Blacks, 8 million Asian Americans, and 1 million American Indians have access to preventive 

services such as blood pressure and obesity screenings and immunizations without cost sharing.

In June 2014, in observance of Men’s Health Month, OMH released a data brief that examined

characteristics of uninsured adult males (ages 19 to 64 years) by race and ethnicity, using data from the 

2012 American Community Survey (U.S. Census Bureau). The analytic sample only included non-elderly 

Asian, Black, Latino, and White males. 

This year, in commemoration of Men’s Health Month 2015, OMH presents the findings of three years of 

data from the 2011-2013 American Community Survey that examines demographic and health measures 

among racial and ethnic minority males (ages 19 to 64 years). The analytic sample builds upon the previous 

brief by including data collected prior to the first open enrollment period of the Affordable Care Act on

American Indian/Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander males. Findings described herein 

will assist health care, public health and policy professionals develop sex specific interventions to improve

health care access and health outcomes as well as reduce racial and ethnic health disparities among adult 

males.
Shondelle Wilson-Frederick, Ph.D.; Tracy Branch, M.P.A.S., PA-C; 

Munira Gunja, M.P.H.; Wendy Lee, M.P.H.; Minh 

Wendt, Ph.D., and 

Rashida Dorsey, Ph.D., M.P.H. 

Background

Over the past several decades, our nation has made vast 

improvements in scientific knowledge, public health, and 

health care. However, the health status of racial and ethnic 

minority males still lags behind the general population.

Nationally, obesity rates are higher in males, age 20 and 

older, across all racial and ethnic groups except Asians 

[1]. Rates of cardiovascular disease are nearly one-third 

higher for non-elderly racial and ethnic minority males as 

compared to White males [2]. In particular, Black males 

tend to have poorer health outcomes across most health

measures [1]. To gain a better understanding of the 

underlying causes of these health disparities in males, it is 

important to conduct studies focusing on single sex 

groups. The paucity of reports examining demographic 

and health measures among diverse groups of males

underscores the timeliness of this report.

This report examines demographic, socioeconomic, and 

health characteristics by race and ethnicity among adult 

males (ages 19 to 64 years). This data brief presents data 

from the most recent national three-year estimates of the 

2011-2013 American Community Survey Public Use 

Microdata Sample (ACS PUMS) [3] and provides 

additional information on the patterns of health and wellbeing among non-elderly males prior to the establishment 

of the Health Insurance Marketplace and the expansion of 

Medicaid eligibility under the Affordable Care Act. For 

the purposes of this brief, males described herein are 

considered as non-elderly persons who lawfully reside in 

the United States. The total sample includes 89,242,898 

of non-elderly males: Whites (68 percent), Latinos (14

percent), Blacks (13 percent), Asians (5 percent), 

American Indians/Alaska Natives (1 percent), and Native 

Hawaiian or Pacific Islanders (less than 1 percent). 

Keywords

American Community Survey (ACS), race, ethnicity, men’s health,

minority, men’s health disparities

Highlights

Among non-elderly males between the 

ages of 19 to 25 years, 79% of Whites, 

77% of Asians, 70% Native 

Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders, 62% of 

Blacks, 57% of Latinos, and 49% of 

American Indians/Alaska Natives had 

health insurance coverage.

Non-elderly American Indian/Alaska 

Native (19%) and Black (15%) males

had the highest percentage of 

disability.

Among non-elderly males, 20% of 

Asians and 17% of Latinos reside in 

limited English proficient households.

Among non-elderly males, more than 

70% of Native Hawaiians/Pacific 

Islanders and American Indians/Alaska 

Natives had a high school diploma as 

their highest level of educational 

attainment.

Among non-elderly males, 47% of 

American Indians/Alaska Natives and 

45% of Blacks report family income at 

or below 138% of the federal poverty 

level (highest among six racial and 

ethnic groups).

Over 80% of non-elderly Asian, White, 

Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, and 

Latino males had a full-time worker in 

the household.

Data from the 2011-2013 American 

Community Survey Public Use 

Microdata Sample

Page 2
What percentage of adult males (ages 19 to 64 years) have health insurance 

coverage?

Figure 1. Health insurance coverage for adult males, by age category and race or ethnicity (2011-2013

ACS)

NOTE: Data are shown for non-elderly males who had a private or public health insurance plan. A private plan is 

provided through an employer or union; a plan purchased by an individual from an insurance company; or TRICARE 

or other military health coverage. Public coverage includes the federal programs Medicare, Medicaid and other medical 

assistance programs, VA Health Care; the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP); and individual state health 

plans. Since the Indian Health Service (IHS) is not considered comprehensive health coverage, non-elderly males who 

only have health coverage through IHS are classified as uninsured.

19 to 25 years:

Among males between the ages of 19 to 25 years, 79 percent of Whites, 77 percent of Asians, 70 percent

Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders, 62 percent of Blacks, 57 percent of Latinos, and 49 percent of

American Indians/Alaska Natives had health insurance coverage.

26 to 34 years:

Among males between the ages of 26 to 34 years, 79 percent of Asians, 77 percent of Whites, 72 percent

Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders, 60 percent of Blacks, 58 percent of Latinos, and 51 percent of 

American Indians/Alaska Natives had health insurance coverage.

49

51

62

74

77 79

84 82

62 60

73

83

57 58

67

76

70 72

83 85

79

77

84

90

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

19 to 25 years 26 to 34 years 35 to 54 years 55 to 64 years

Percent

Age categories

American Indian/Alaska Native Asian Black Latino Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander White

Page 3
35 to 54 years:

Among males between the ages of 35 to 54 years, 84 percent of Whites, 84 percent of Asians, 83 percent

Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders, 73 percent of Blacks, 67 percent of Latinos, and 62 percent of 

American Indians/Alaska Natives had health insurance coverage.

55 to 64 years:

Among males between the ages of 55 to 64 years, 90 percent of Whites, 85 percent Native 

Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders, 83 percent of Blacks, 82 percent of Asians, 76 percent of Latinos, and 74

percent of American Indians/Alaska Natives had health insurance coverage.

Page 4

Page 4
What percentage of adult males (ages 19 to 64 years) have disabilities?

Figure 2. Disability among adult males, by race or ethnicity (2011-2013 ACS)

Among non-elderly adult males, American Indians/Alaska Natives (19 percent), and Blacks (15 percent) 

had the highest percentages of disability. Non-elderly White (11 percent), Latino (9 percent), and Native 

Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (9 percent) males reported lower percentages of disability. Non-elderly Asian 

males (5 percent) had the lowest percentage of disability. 

19

5

15

9 9

11

0

5

10

15

20

25

Percent

Disabled

American Indian/Alaska Native Asian Black Latino Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander White

Page 5
What is the highest level of educational attainment for adult males (ages 19 to 64 

years)?

Figure 3. Educational attainment of adult males, by race or ethnicity (2011-2013 ACS)

Less than High School:

Across all racial or ethnic groups of non-elderly males, a higher percentage of Latinos (27 percent) 

completed less than a high school level of education, whereas less than 20 percent of non-elderly American 

Indian/Alaska Native (18 percent), Black (16 percent), Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (11 percent), Asian 

(9 percent), and White (8 percent) males completed less than high school. 

High School Diploma:

Except for Asians (40 percent), the majority of non-elderly males reported a high school diploma as their 

highest level of educational attainment. The percentage of non-elderly Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander

males (76 percent) who earned a high school diploma was greater than the percentages for non-elderly

American Indian/Alaska Native (71 percent), Black (69 percent), White (62 percent), and Latino (60

percent) males.

18

71

11 9

40

50

16

69

15

27

60

13

11

76

14

8

62

31

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Less than high school High school diploma College graduate

Percent

Educational Attainment

American Indian/Alaska Native Asian Black Latino Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander White

Page 6
College Graduate:

Across all racial or ethnic groups of non-elderly males, a higher percentage of Asians (50 percent) graduated 

from college. Lower percentages of non-elderly White (31 percent), Black (15 percent), Native 

Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (14 percent), Latino (13 percent), and American Indian/Alaska Native (11

percent) males graduated from college. 

Page 7
What percentage of adult males (ages 19 to 64 years) are married?

Figure 4. Marriage among adult males, by race or ethnicity (2011-2013 ACS)

Marriage appears to vary by racial or ethnic group. Among non-elderly males, 59 percent of Asians, 54

percent of Whites, 52 percent of Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders, and 46 percent of Latinos were

married. Lower percentages of non-elderly American Indian/Alaska Native (38 percent) and Black (33

percent) males were married.

38

59

33

46

52

54

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Percent

Married

American Indian/Alaska Native Asian Black Latino Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander White

Page 8
What is the family income, as percent of federal poverty level, among adult males 

(ages 19 to 64 years)?

Figure 5. Family income, as percent of the federal poverty level, for adult males, by race or ethnicity

(2011-2013 ACS)

NOTE: The federal poverty guidelines commonly referred to as the “federal poverty level” are a version of the federal 

poverty measure. They are issued each year by the Department of Health and Human Services for administrative

purposes— for instance, determining financial eligibility for certain federal programs.

138 percent Federal Poverty Level or Less:

Across all racial or ethnic groups of non-elderly males, American Indians/Alaska Natives (47 percent) had 

the highest percentages of family income at or below 138 percent federal poverty level followed by Blacks 

(45 percent). A lower percentage of non-elderly Latino (37 percent) and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 

(37 percent) males had family incomes at or below 138 percent federal poverty level. Asians (26 percent) 

and Whites (22 percent) had the lowest percentages family income at or below 138 percent federal poverty 

level. 

139 percent to 400 Percent Federal Poverty Level:

Across all racial or ethnic groups of non-elderly males, Latinos (43 percent) had the highest percentage of 

family income between 139 percent to 400 percent federal poverty level, followed by Native 

Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders (40 percent). Lower percentages of non-elderly White (35 percent), American 

Indian/Alaska Native (34 percent), Black (34 percent), and Asian (32 percent) males report family income

between 139 percent to 400 percent federal poverty level.

47

34

19

26

32

42

45

34

21

37

43

20

37

40

23 22

35

43

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

138% FPL or less 139% to 400% FPL More than 400% FPL

Percent

Federal Poverty Level

American Indian/Alaska Native Asian Black Latino Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander White

Page 9
More than 400 percent Federal Poverty Level:

Across all racial or ethnic groups of non-elderly males, Whites (43 percent) and Asians (42 percent) had 

the highest percentage of family income of more than 400 percent federal poverty level. In contrast, lower 

percentages of non-elderly Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (23 percent), Black (21 percent), Latino (20

percent), and American Indian/Alaska Native (19 percent) males reported family incomes of more than 400

percent federal poverty level.

Page 10
What percentage of adult males report having a full-time worker in their 

household (ages 19 to 64 years)?

Figure 6. Percentage of adult males with full-time workers in their household, by race or ethnicity (2011-

2013 ACS)

The majority of non-elderly males had a full-time worker in their household. Among non-elderly males, 

Asians (86 percent) had the highest percentage of households with a full-time worker, followed by Whites 

(85 percent), Latinos (83 percent), and Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders (83 percent). Lower percentages 

of non-elderly American Indian/Alaska Native (69 percent) and Black (69 percent) males had a full-time 

worker in their household. 

69

86

69

83 83 85

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Percent

Full-Time Worker in Family

American Indian/Alaska Native Asian Black Latino Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander White

Page 11
What is the household level of limited English proficiency among adult males

(ages 19 to 64 years)?

Figure 7. Household level of limited English proficiency for adult males, by race or ethnicity (2011-2013 

ACS)

NOTE: Household Limited English Proficiency (LEP) is classified as non-elderly male living in a household (defined 

by Census household) that does not contain any adults who speak English as a first language or ‘very well’ as a 

second language.

Among non-elderly males, 20 percent of Asians and 17 percent of Latinos reported that no adult members 

of their household spoke English well. In contrast, only 5 percent of non-elderly Native Hawaiian/Pacific 

Islander males and even lower proportions of non-elderly American Indian/Alaska Native (2 percent), 

Black (1 percent), and White (1 percent) males reported that no adult members of their household spoke 

English well.

2

20

1

17

5

1

0

5

10

15

20

25

Percent

Household Limited English Proficient

American Indian/Alaska Native Asian Black Latino Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander White

Page 12
Summary

This data brief provides a profile of the social, economic, and health 

characteristics reported by non-elderly American Indian/Alaska 

Native, Asian, Black, Latino, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, and 

White males. Nearly 80 percent of White and Asian males between 

the ages of 19 to 25 years had health insurance coverage. Less than 

20 percent of males reported having a disability. With the exception 

of non-elderly Asian males (40 percent), 60 percent or greater of 

non-elderly American Indian/Alaska Native, Black, Latino, Native 

Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, and White males reported a high school 

diploma as their highest level of educational attainment. With the 

exception of non-elderly American Indian/Alaska Native (38

percent) and Black (33 percent) males, nearly 50 percent of nonelderly males were married. Across all racial and ethnic groups of 

non-elderly males, one out of three males had a family income 

between 139 percent to 400 percent federal poverty level. Asian and 

Latino males had the highest percentage of household limited 

English proficiency. 

Conclusion

While progress in reducing the uninsurance rate through the implementation of the Affordable Care Act 

has been seen, the findings in this report demonstrate the challenges the nation faces in addressing health 

disparities and the underlying social determinants of health among racial and ethnic minority males in the 

United States. This brief provides aggregate data on six racial and ethnic groups of men. In the United 

States, there is great diversity within racial and ethnic groups, and intra- and inter- group disparities exist. 

Future work that includes examining social determinants and health behaviors by granular or detailed subgroup could provide even more information to describe the characteristics of males in the United States.

As leaders and organizations at national, state, tribal, territorial, and local levels continue to develop 

strategies and plan innovative efforts to advance health equity, these findings can inform their approaches 

for closing the gap of health and health care disparities among racial and ethnic minority males. Most 

reports on racial and ethnic males only provide data on Blacks, Latinos, and Asians, largely due to issues 

with sample size. With the inclusion of American Indians/Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians/Pacific 

Islanders, this report provides crucial information on additional racial and ethnic groups of males who have 

historically experienced disparities in health and health care but are often missing from the literature.

The Office of Minority 

Health at the U.S. 

Department of Health 

and Human Services is 

dedicated to improving 

the health of racial and 

ethnic minority 

populations through the 

development of health 

policies and programs 

that will help eliminate

health disparities.

Page 13

Page 13
Definitions1

Adults Males

Non-elderly males (less than 65 years old) who are lawfully residing in the United States.

Disability

If a non-elderly male responded “yes” to any of the following statements in the American Community 

Survey, then they were considered to have a disability: 

• Person is deaf or does he/she have a serious difficulty hearing.

• Person is blind or does he/she have serious difficulty seeing even when wearing glasses.

• Because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition, person has serious difficulty concentrating, 

remembering, or making decisions.

• Person has serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs.

• Person has difficulty dressing or bathing.

• Because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition, person has difficulty doing errands alone such 

as visiting a doctor’s office or shopping.

Educational Attainment

• Less than high school: Non-elderly male with less than a high school degree.

• High school diploma: Non-elderly male with a high school degree but no college degree.

• College graduate: Non-elderly male with a four-year college degree.

Federal poverty level [4]

The federal poverty guidelines commonly referred to as the “federal poverty level” (federal poverty level) 

are a version of the federal poverty measure. They are issued each year by the U.S. Department of Health 

and Human Services (HHS) for administrative purposes— for instance, determining financial eligibility for 

certain federal programs.

Health insurance coverage [3]

Non-elderly males who had a private or public health insurance were classified as insured. A private plan 

is provided through an employer or union; a plan purchased by an individual from an insurance company; 

or TRICARE or other military health coverage. Public coverage includes the federal programs Medicare, 

Medicaid and other medical assistance programs, VA Health Care; the Children’s Health Insurance 

Program (CHIP); and individual state health plans. Since the Indian Health Service (IHS) is not considered 

comprehensive health coverage, non-elderly males who only have health coverage through IHS are 

classified as uninsured.

Household Limited English Proficiency (LEP)

Non-elderly male living in a household (defined by Census household) that does not contain any adults who 

speak English as a first language or ‘very well’ as a second language.

Racial and Ethnic Groups

• American Indian/Alaska Native represents non-elderly males reporting ‘American Indian alone,’ 

‘Alaska Native alone,’ or ‘American Indian and Alaska Native tribes specified’ as their race, and who 

are not of Latino ethnicity.

• Asian represents non-elderly males reporting ‘Asian alone’ as their race, and who are not of Latino 

ethnicity. 

1 Unless otherwise noted, variables were defined according to the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services, 

Health Insurance Marketplace, available from: https://marketplace.cms.gov/outreach-and-education/censusdata.html

Page 14

 
• Black represents non-elderly males reporting ‘Black or African American alone’ as their race, and who 

are not of Latino ethnicity.

• Latino represents non-elderly males reporting Latino or Hispanic ethnicity, regardless of race. 

• Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander represents non-elderly males reporting ‘Native Hawaiian and Other 

Pacific Islander alone’ as their race, and who are not of Latino ethnicity.

• White represents non-elderly males reporting ‘White alone’ as their race, and who are not of Latino 

ethnicity.

Data Sources and Methods

Unless otherwise noted, all numbers in this brief are ASPE tabulations from the calendar year 2011-2013

American Community Survey Public Use Microdata Sample (ACS PUMS), adjusted to exclude estimated 

undocumented persons based on ASPE’s TRIM3 simulation model. Non-elderly males described in this 

data brief exclude the undocumented and the elderly. 

All estimates were survey-weighted and represent the total non-elderly male population (ages 19 to 64 

years). This data brief presents crude estimates that are not age-adjusted to a population standard. Measures 

included in this analysis were defined using the ACS definitions as shown on the CMS.gov Health Insurance 

Marketplace website [5].

References

1. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services-Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC 

Health Disparities and Inequalities Report — United States, 2013. 62(Suppl 3): p. 1-186.

2. James C, Salganicoff A, Ranji U, et al. Putting men’s health disparities on the map: examining racial 

and ethnic disparities at the state level. Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, Editor. 2012.

3. U.S. Census Bureau. ACS Health Insurance Definitions. 2012; Available from: 

http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/hlthins/methodology/definitions/acs.html.

4. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services-Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and 

Evaluation. Poverty Thresholds and Poverty Guidelines. 2014; Available from: 

http://aspe.hhs.gov/Poverty/faq.cfm.

5. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services-Centers Medicare and Medicaid Services. Census 

Data to Target the Uninsured. Available from: https://marketplace.cms.gov/outreach-andeducation/census-data.html.

Page 15
About the Authors

Shondelle Wilson-Frederick, Tracy Branch, Wendy Lee, Minh Wendt, and Rashida Dorsey are with the 

Office of Minority Health (OMH) and Munira Gunja is with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of 

Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Suggested citation

Wilson-Frederick S, Branch T, Gunja M, Lee W, Wendt M, and Dorsey, R. A Demographic and Health 

Profile of Adult Males (Ages 19 to 64 years) in the United States by Race and Ethnicity. OMH Data Brief, 

No 3. Rockville, MD: Office of Minority Health. 2015.

Copyright information

All material appearing in this report is in the public domain and may be reproduced or copied without 

permission; citation as to source, however, is appreciated.

Office of Minority Health 

J. Nadine Gracia, M.D., M.S.C.E., Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health and Director, Office of 

Minority Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Rashida Dorsey, Ph.D., M.P.H., Director, Division of Data and Policy, Office of Minority Health, U.S. 

Department of Health and Human Services

1101 Wootton Parkway, Suite 600

Rockville, MD 20852

Phone: 240-453-2882 | Fax: 240-453-2883 

Email: info@minorityhealth.hhs.gov | www.minorityhealth.hhs.gov

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