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Hospital Rankings by State 2024
When someone has a medical emergency, going to the hospital is the best course of action. Going to a hospital, however, is better is some states than it is in others. The best hospitals in the United States have mortality rates that are almost 30% lower than other hospitals and are improving their clinical quality faster. Patients who go to hospitals in certain states might have a better chance of surviving life-threatening emergencies than if they were in another state. For example, a person who suffers from a heart attack would have a better chance of surviving in Massachusetts than in Mississippi.
What states have the best hospitals? Wallethub conducted a study comparing the healthcare systems of all 50 states and the District of Columbia using 43 metrics in three categories: cost, access, and outcomes. In the outcomes category, three hospital metrics were used: the share of patients readmitted to hospitals, the share of hospitalized patients discharged without instructions for home recovery, and share of hospital patients who did not receive patient-centered care.
Best States for Hospital Care
According to the Wallethub study, the ten states that have the best hospitals, in order, are Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Colorado, Vermont, Hawaii, Rhode Island, Connnecticut, Utah, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Massachusetts ranks first as the best state for hospitals in the United States. Massachusetts is home to some of the best hospitals in the country such as Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s hospital. Minnesota, ranked ninth on the list, is home to what is considered to be the best hospital in the U.S., the Mayo Clinic, located in Rochester.
Worst States for Hospital Care
According to the Wallethub study, the ten states with the worst hospital care, in order, are: Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Alabama, West Virginia, Georgia, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Mississippi is one of the worst states overall for healthcare and is ranked 51st for hospitals. Mississippi has one of the lowest numbers of physicians per capita of any state and one of the lowest percentages of insured adults ages 19 to 64. Additionally, Mississippi does not have a single hospital that is considered to be one of the best 250 hospitals as designated by Healthgrades.
State | Hospitals With An A Grade Spring 2023 | Hospitals With An A Grade Spring 2022 | # Of Nations Best Hospitals |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Jersey | 51.5% | 47.1% | 9 |
| Idaho | 50% | 50% | 0 |
| Utah | 48.1% | 51.9% | 0 |
| Pennsylvania | 46.5% | 40.9% | 24 |
| Connecticut | 42.9% | 25% | 5 |
| North Carolina | 42% | 44.2% | 2 |
| South Carolina | 41.2% | 29.4% | 5 |
| Colorado | 40.9% | 50% | 8 |
| Virginia | 38.6% | 52.1% | 12 |
| Massachusetts | 36.8% | 34.5% | 3 |
| Florida | 35.4% | 39.3% | 30 |
| California | 33.8% | 28.2% | 46 |
| Rhode Island | 33.3% | 33.3% | 0 |
| Texas | 33.2% | 34.1% | 37 |
| Tennessee | 32.4% | 33.8% | 6 |
| Minnesota | 31.1% | 32.6% | 7 |
| New Hampshire | 30.8% | 53.8% | 1 |
| Missouri | 30.6% | 22.2% | 3 |
| Washington | 30.4% | 34.8% | 2 |
| Kansas | 30.3% | 28.6% | 5 |
| Montana | 30% | 30% | 1 |
| Louisiana | 27.9% | 29.3% | 0 |
| South Dakota | 27.3% | 10% | 0 |
| Michigan | 26.8% | 32.5% | 7 |
| Mississippi | 26.8% | 29.3% | 0 |
| Indiana | 26.7% | 26.7% | 5 |
| Ohio | 26.7% | 28% | 23 |
| Illinois | 26.1% | 26.5% | 18 |
| Wisconsin | 26.1% | 11.9% | 6 |
| Hawaii | 25% | 33.3% | 0 |
| Georgia | 24.4% | 25.6% | 9 |
| Oregon | 24.2% | 38.2% | 1 |
| Maine | 23.5% | 43.8% | 0 |
| Arkansas | 22.6% | 25% | 0 |
| Maryland | 22% | 19.5% | 5 |
| Oklahoma | 20.5% | 23.3% | 0 |
| Alaska | 16.7% | 16.7% | 0 |
| Nevada | 16.7% | 26.5% | 3 |
| Vermont | 16.7% | - | 1 |
| Alabama | 11.3% | 12.7% | 0 |
| New York | 11.3% | 12.7% | 12 |
| Wyoming | 11.1% | 11.1% | 0 |
| New Mexico | 10.5% | 10% | 0 |
| Arizona | 10% | 10.2% | 3 |
| Nebraska | 10% | 5.3% | 4 |
| Kentucky | 6.6% | 18.3% | 3 |
| Iowa | 6.1% | 3.1% | 2 |
| West Virginia | 4.5% | 5% | 2 |
| Delaware | - | 14.3% | 2 |
| District of Columbia | - | - | 1 |
| North Dakota | - | - | 0 |