Comprehensive data on risk groups within the black population are lacking because of the small number of black Americans usually sampled in national health surveys. Health policy, planning, and service delivery can be substantially improved by having data that reveal the specific health concerns of blacks within these different risk groups. This paper describes the demographic characteristics of the uninsured in a national sample of adult (18 years and older) black Americans. The poor, farmers, unemployed, young (18 to 25 years) and pre-retired (55 to 64 years) were the most likely to be uninsured. Persons living in the South and in rural locations were also more likely to be uninsured than blacks in the North and in urban areas. Implications for health policy and health care delivery are discussed.