Hailey Tran
There are over 6,000 hospitals in the United States, and of these, there are 1,527 public hospitals. Public hospitals are owned by the government and funded by taxpayer dollars. They are categorized by the level of government at which the hospital is owned, including city, city-county, county, federal, hospital district, state, and other. Some examples of public hospitals in the US include the UCSF Helen Diller Medical Center in San Francisco, the University Hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and the Lyndon B. Johnson General Hospital in Houston.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of hospitals in the US | 6,0934 |
| Number of public hospitals in the US | 1,527 |
| Categories of public hospital ownership | City, city-county, county, federal, hospital district, state, and other |
| Examples of public hospitals in the US | John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County (Chicago), Lyndon B. Johnson General Hospital (Houston), UCSF Helen Diller Medical Center at Parnassus Heights (San Francisco), University Hospital (Ann Arbor) |
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What You'll Learn
There are 6,0934 hospitals in the US
There are 6,093 hospitals in the United States, according to the American Hospital Association's (AHA) annual survey data from 2023. This number includes government hospitals, non-profit hospitals, and for-profit hospitals. The AHA's data also includes the number of hospitals in each state and the number of hospital beds.
The number of hospitals in the US has been steadily declining since 1975, when there were 7,156 hospitals. This decline has also resulted in a decrease in the number of hospital beds available. In 2022, there were 916,752 hospital beds in the US, a significant decrease from the 1.5 million beds available in 1975.
The US has a mix of public and private hospitals. Public hospitals are owned by the government and funded by taxpayer dollars. These hospitals are owned by different levels of government, including city, city-county, county, federal, hospital district, and state. There are currently 1,527 public hospitals actively operating in the US.
Some well-known public hospitals in the US include the UCSF Helen Diller Medical Center at Parnassus Heights in San Francisco, the University Hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. These hospitals are among the top public hospitals in the country in terms of net patient revenue.
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1,527 of these are public hospitals
There are 6,0934 hospitals in the United States, and 1,527 of these are public hospitals. Public hospitals are under governmental ownership, and all expenses are funded by the government and taxpayer dollars. These hospitals fall under several ownership categories based on the level of government at which the hospital is owned: city, city-county, county, federal, hospital district, state, and other.
Some of the top public hospitals in the U.S. by net patient revenue (NPR) include the UCSF Helen Diller Medical Center at Parnassus Heights in San Francisco, California, with over $5.4 billion in NPR; the University Hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan, with $4.9 billion in NPR; and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, with $4.6 billion in NPR.
Other notable public hospitals include the John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County in Chicago, the Lyndon B. Johnson General Hospital in Houston, and the Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center in Los Angeles County, California. These hospitals provide essential healthcare services to the communities they serve, contributing to the overall healthcare landscape in the United States.
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They are owned by different levels of government
There are 6,0934 hospitals in the United States, according to the American Hospital Association's 2025 data. The data also revealed that there are 1,527 public hospitals actively operating in the country. These public hospitals are owned by different levels of government, including city, city-county, county, federal, hospital district, state, and other categories. For instance, the Greenville General Hospital in Greenville, South Carolina, is owned by the city of Greenville, while the Lyndon B. Johnson General Hospital in Houston is owned by the county. Additionally, the Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center in Los Angeles County, California, and the New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington, North Carolina, were both public hospitals owned by their respective counties until they were acquired by private organisations.
Public hospitals, as the term suggests, are funded by the government and taxpayer dollars. They are accessible to the general public and provide essential medical services to all. These hospitals do not discriminate based on a person's ability to pay and offer a safety net for those who cannot afford private healthcare. The UCSF Helen Diller Medical Center at Parnassus Heights in San Francisco, California, is a prime example of a top-performing public hospital with over $5.4 billion in net patient revenue.
The ownership of public hospitals by different levels of government ensures that healthcare services are provided to all citizens, regardless of their socio-economic status. This ownership model allows for a more equitable distribution of healthcare resources and enables governments to directly influence and improve the health outcomes of their constituents. For instance, county-owned hospitals can cater to the specific needs of their local communities, ensuring that healthcare is tailored to address regional health disparities.
However, it is worth noting that the majority of hospitals in the United States are not publicly owned. The American Hospital Association's data reveals that most hospitals are nonfederal, short-term general, or specialty hospitals. These include community hospitals, academic medical centres, and teaching hospitals. While these hospitals may receive some government funding, they are primarily funded by private sources and patient fees.
The variation in hospital ownership structures in the United States reflects the complex and multifaceted nature of the country's healthcare system. While public hospitals, owned by different levels of government, play a crucial role in providing accessible healthcare, the private sector also significantly contributes to the delivery of healthcare services. This mixed model presents both challenges and opportunities for ensuring equitable and efficient healthcare for all Americans.
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The top public hospital is in San Francisco
There are 1,527 public hospitals actively operating in the United States, with a wide range of ownership categories based on the level of government at which the hospital is owned. These include city, city-county, county, federal, hospital district, and state.
The top public hospital in the United States by net patient revenue (NPR) is the UCSF Helen Diller Medical Center at Parnassus Heights in San Francisco, California, with over $5.4 billion in NPR. The hospital is under governmental ownership, which means all expenses are funded by the government and taxpayer dollars.
UCSF Health-UCSF Medical Center in San Francisco is also nationally ranked in 13 adult specialties and 11 pediatric specialties. Other notable hospitals in San Francisco include the California Pacific Medical Center-Van Ness Campus, which is nationally ranked in one adult specialty, and the Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center, which provides inpatient, outpatient, emergency, diagnostic, and behavioral services for adults and children.
In addition to these, St. Mary's Medical Center, San Francisco Vein & Vascular Institute, and Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Medical Center are also well-known hospitals in the city.
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Community hospitals are non-federal and short-term
There are 6,093 hospitals in the United States, 1,527 of which are public hospitals. These public hospitals fall under several ownership categories based on the level of government at which the hospital is owned: city, city-county, county, federal, hospital district, state, and other.
Community hospitals are also non-teaching hospitals, meaning they are unaffiliated with medical schools and do not provide educational opportunities for students studying to become doctors, nurses, or other medical professionals. They provide necessary medical services to the communities they serve and often operate more cost-effectively, as they do not absorb the many costs associated with educating future medical professionals.
Nearly two-thirds of all hospitals located in urban areas are considered to be not-for-profit hospitals, meaning they are not beholden to shareholders to earn profits. Many of these non-profit facilities receive tax benefits that are unavailable to for-profit facilities. The majority (76%) of community hospitals are not-for-profit, with excess funds remaining in the hospital.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, there are public hospitals in America. Public hospitals are government-owned and funded by taxpayer dollars.
As of 2024, there are 1,527 public hospitals actively operating in the U.S.
Some examples of public hospitals in the U.S. include the UCSF Helen Diller Medical Center in San Francisco, the University Hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and the Lyndon B. Johnson General Hospital in Houston.
In almost all other developed countries, public hospitals provide medical care free of charge to patients. However, in America, public hospitals charge for treatment and compete with the private sector for paying patients.
