There are hundreds of thousands more uninsured people in North Carolina, new data from the state’s Institute of Medicine shows.

According to the group’s report, between 2005 and 2010, the state added 291,000 uninsured people, boosting the total number of uninsured to 750,000. The NCIOM data show one in five nonelderly people in North Carolina did not have health insurance in 2009-2010.

“This new data will provide valuable insights as we strive to improve the health of North Carolinians,” said Pam Silberman, president of the NCIOM.

Two-thirds of the uninsured live in families where there is at least on full-time worker, the data shows. However, the percentage of uninsured who live in families with no workers, part-time workers and only one full-time worker has increased 12 percent in five years, the agency said.

The agency said the rise is probably a reflection of the recession.

More than 66 percent of the state’s uninsured live in urban areas, the report stated. It also showed that the number of uninsured in rural areas dropped more than 4 percent in the five-year study. According to NCIOM’s estimates, Catawba County had the lowest rate of uninsured people at 16.5 percent.

The group concludes the Affordable Care Act that President Barack Obama spearheaded would help about 676,000 of North Carolina’s uninsured with Medicaid coverage. Others would be eligible for the Health Benefits Exchange program, NCIOM said.

For information on county-level estimates, click here.