Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Agency for Healthcare 

Research and Quality

STATISTICAL BRIEF #184 

September 2007 

Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance 

for State and Local Governments, by 

Census Division, 2005 

Highlights 

 In 2005, 66.8 percent of 

employees of state and local 

governments were enrolled 

in employer-sponsored 

health insurance. 

 In 2005, the average 

premium paid by state and 

local governments for single

coverage for employersponsored health insurance

was $4,595. This value 

varied significantly across 

census divisions.

 The average premium 

contribution per enrolled 

employee for single coverage for state and local government employees with 

employer-sponsored health 

insurance was $409 in 2005.

 The average premium for 

employer-sponsored health 

insurance per enrolled 

employee for family coverage across state and local 

government employers was 

$11,308. 

 In 2005, the average contribution towards premiums 

per state and local government employee enrolled in 

family coverage through 

their employer was $2,059. 

John P. Sommers, PhD 

Introduction 

Employer-sponsored health insurance for current workers is one of

the primary sources of health insurance coverage in the United

States. According to data from the Insurance Component of the 

2005 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS-IC), approximately 

116.7 million (88.7 percent) of the 131.5 million employees from the

combined workforce of all private firms and all state and local 

governments (non-Federal) worked where the employer offered 

health insurance. Of those employees who worked where health 

insurance was offered, approximately 73.8 million (56.1 percent) 

were enrolled. 

The above estimates are averages and are not characteristic of the 

state and local government workforce. Within this subset of the 

workforce, 99.9 percent of the workers were employed where health

insurance was offered and 66.8 percent of the total workforce was 

enrolled. Both these values are significantly higher than the averages for all non-Federal workers. Furthermore, characteristics of 

employer-sponsored health insurance for state and local governments varied significantly across the country. 

This Statistical Brief presents estimates, by census division, of 

overall enrollment rates, premiums, and contributions for employersponsored health insurance provided by state and local governments. Only those estimates that had a statistically significant 

difference from the national average at the 0.05 percent significance 

level are noted in the text. 

Findings 

The percentage of all state and local government employees enrolled in employer-sponsored health 

insurance in 2005 was 66.8 percent (figure 1). The enrollment rate across all census divisions differed 

from the national average. The New England, East North Central, West North Central, and Mountain 

census divisions had percentage values lower than the national average, at 60.4, 60.9, 58.7, and 63.2 

percent, respectively. The Middle Atlantic, South Atlantic, East South Central, West South Central, and 

Pacific census divisions had enrollment percentages of 72.0, 69.7, 69.7, 70.8, and 69.3 percent, 

respectively, all higher than the national average. 
In 2005, the single premium per enrolled employee for employer-sponsored health insurance provided 

through state and local governments was $4,595 (figure 2). The governments in the New England, East 

North Central, and Pacific census divisions had average values of $5,629, $5,055, and $4,926, 

respectively. All these values were above the national average. The governments in the Middle Atlantic 

and West South Central census divisions paid lower than average values of $4,358 and $4,166, 

respectively. 

The average employee contribution towards single coverage for employer-sponsored health insurance 

provided by a state or local government in 2005 was $409 (figure 3). This contribution varied noticeably 

across census divisions. The New England and West South Central census divisions had averages of 

$777 and $517, respectively, both higher than the national average. The Middle Atlantic, West North 

Central, and East South Central census divisions had values of $292, $203, and $342, respectively, all 

lower than the national average. 

The average premium per enrolled employee for family coverage provided to employees by state and 

local governments in 2005 was $11,308 (figure 4). The New England and East North Central census 

divisions paid higher than average amounts of $14,089 and $12,725, respectively. The Middle Atlantic, 

South Atlantic, and East South Central census divisions had average family premiums of $10,443, 

10,724, and 10,348, respectively. These values were all below the national average. 

In 2005, the average contribution towards family coverage per employee enrolled in employer-sponsored 

health insurance provided by state and local governments was $2,059 (figure 5). The Middle Atlantic and 

East North Central census divisions had the lowest employee amounts of $818 and $1,537, respectively. 

The New England, West North Central, South Atlantic, East South Central, and West South Central 

census divisions had averages of $2,525, $2,740, $2,940, $2,596, and $4,265, respectively. All these 

values were higher than the national average. 

Data Source 

This Statistical Brief summarizes data from the 2005 MEPS-IC. The data are available on the MEPS Web 

site at http://www.meps.ahrq.gov/mepsweb/survey_comp/Insurance.jsp or have been produced using 

special computation runs on the confidential MEPS-IC data available at the U.S. Census Bureau. 

Definitions 

States were grouped into nine census divisions as follows: 

– New England: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont 

– Middle Atlantic: New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania 

– East North Central: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin 

– West North Central: Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota 

– South Atlantic: Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South 

Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia 

– East South Central: Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee 

– West South Central: Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas 

– Mountain: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming 

– Pacific: Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington 

About MEPS-IC 

The MEPS-IC is a survey of business establishments and governments that collects information on 

employer-sponsored health insurance, such as whether insurance is offered, enrollments, types of plans, 

and premiums. The survey is conducted annually by the U. S. Census Bureau under the sponsorship of 

the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). The yearly response rate has averaged 78 

percent for in-scope sample units. Approximately 4 percent of the original sample has been out-of-scope 

in a typical year. A total sample of 42,000 establishments was selected for the 2005 survey, prior to 

accounting for losses due to nonresponse and out-of-scope cases. 
For more information on this survey, see MEPS Methodology Reports 6, 8, 10, 14, 17, and 18 on the 

MEPS Web site at http://www.meps.ahrq.gov/mepsweb/data_stats/publications.jsp and Insurance 

Component Survey Basics at http://www.meps.ahrq.gov/mepsweb/survey_comp/Insurance.jsp. 

Suggested Citation 

Sommers, J. P. Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance for State and Local Governments, by Census 

Division, 2005. Statistical Brief #184. September 2007. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 

Rockville, Md. http://www.meps.ahrq.gov/mepsweb/data_files/publications/st184/stat184.pdf 

∗ ∗ ∗

AHRQ welcomes questions and comments from readers of this publication who are interested in 

obtaining more information about access, cost, use, financing, and quality of health care in the United 

States. We also invite you to tell us how you are using this Statistical Brief and other MEPS data and 

tools and to share suggestions on how MEPS products might be enhanced to further meet your needs. 

Please e-mail us at mepsprojectdirector@ahrq.hhs.gov or send a letter to the address below: 

Steven B. Cohen, PhD, Director 

Center for Financing, Access, and Cost Trends 

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality 

540 Gaither Road 

Rockville, MD 20850 
Source: Center for Financing, Access, and Cost Trends, AHRQ, Insurance Component of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, 2005

70.8

63.2

69.3 66.8 69.7

58.7

69.7

60.9

72.0

60.4

0

20

40

60

80

100

New

England

Middle

Atlantic

East North

Central

West North

Central

South

Atlantic

East South

Central

West South

Central

Mountain Pacific National

Average

Percent

Figure 1. Percentage of all state and local government employees

who were enrolled in employer-sponsored health insurance,

by census division , 2005 

 

Source: Center for Financing, Access, and Cost Trends, AHRQ, Insurance Component of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, 2005

4,166

4,586

4,926

4,595 4,564 4,460 4,495

5,055

4,358

5,629

0

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

6,000

New

England

Middle

Atlantic

East North

Central

West North

Central

South

Atlantic

East South

Central

West South

Central

Mountain Pacific National

Average

D

ollars

Figure 2. Average single premium per enrolled employee at

state and local governments, by census division, 2005

Statistical Brief #184: Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance for State and Local Governments, by Census Division, 

2005 
Source: Center for Financing, Access, and Cost Trends, AHRQ, Insurance Component of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, 2005

517

360

420 409

342

203

409

478

292

777

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

New

England

Middle

Atlantic

East North

Central

West North

Central

South

Atlantic

East South

Central

West South

Central

Mountain Pacific National

Average

D

ollars

Figure 3. Average employee contribution per enrolled employee

for single coverage at state and local governments,

by census division, 2005

Source: Center for Financing, Access, and Cost Trends, AHRQ, Insurance Component of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, 2005

11,038 11,304 11,003 11,308

10,348 10,955 10,724

12,725

10,443

14,089

0

2,000

4,000

6,000

8,000

10,000

12,000

14,000

New

England

Middle

Atlantic

East North

Central

West North

Central

South

Atlantic

East South

Central

West South

Central

Mountain Pacific National

Average

D

ollars

Figure 4. Average family premium per enrolled employee at

state and local governments, by census division, 2005

Statistical Brief #184: Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance for State and Local Governments, by Census Division, 

2005 
Source: Center for Financing, Access, and Cost Trends, AHRQ, Insurance Component of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, 2005

4,265

2,432

1,857 2,059

2,596 2,740 2,940

1,537

818

2,525

0

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

New

England

Middle

Atlantic

East North

Central

West North

Central

South

Atlantic

East South

Central

West South

Central

Mountain Pacific National

Average

D

ollars

Figure 5. Average employee contribution per enrolled employee

for family coverage at state and local governments,

by census division, 2005

Statistical Brief #184: Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance for State and Local Governments, by Census Division, 

2005