How ratings work

Public data. Local context.

Hospital and nursing home ratings, clearly explained

Explore CMS Care Compare ratings by state and city. Compare hospital stars, nursing home staffing, inspections and reported penalties with context.

  • Hospital ratings and measure summaries
  • Nursing home staffing, inspections and fines
  • Official CMS sources with clear limitations
Explore your state

Hospital release: 2026-10-26 · Nursing homes: 2026-10-01

Start with the facts

Understand the rating.
Ask better questions.

Stars offer a starting point. Location, services and personal needs matter too.

Read how to use these ratings →

A national view of care

5,435
Hospitals in CMS data
41.9%
Rated hospitals with 4–5 stars
14,686
Nursing homes in CMS data
3.05 / 5
Mean nursing home rating
$445.7M

$445,738,479

Total reported nursing home fines

A rating is a starting point

Compare the measures. Check the current record.

Hospital stars and nursing home stars use different CMS methods.
Missing ratings are never treated as zero.

Understand the data →

Hospital star ratings by state

Arithmetic mean among hospitals with a reported overall rating. State tiles show the mean; gray indicates no reported average.

AK2.90HI3.18ME3.21VT3.25NH3.17WA3.23ID3.55MT3.25ND3.25MN3.77WI3.78IL3.03MI3.10NY2.77MA3.20OR3.25NV3.00WY3.38SD3.89IA3.24IN3.35OH3.59PA3.48NJ3.15CT3.42RI3.55CA3.10UT4.24CO3.96NE3.50MO3.14KY2.76WV2.76VA3.68MD3.31DE3.14AZ3.11NM2.48KS3.17AR2.86TN3.08NC3.30SC3.43DC2.86OK3.29LA2.81MS2.33AL2.74GA2.94TX3.38FL3.06

Territories appear in the table below. Tile positions are approximate.

10 highest reported hospital means

State / territoryHospital meanHospitalsNursing homes
Utah4.245297
Colorado3.9696210
South Dakota3.896196
Wisconsin3.78143323
Minnesota3.77136337
Virginia3.6898289
Ohio3.59193924
Idaho3.554980
Rhode Island3.551372
Nebraska3.5093180
View all states and territories (alphabetical)
State / territoryHospital meanHospitalsNursing homes
Alabama2.7499224
Alaska2.902520
American Samoanot reported10
Arizona3.11108140
Arkansas2.8690222
California3.103781,165
Colorado3.9696210
Connecticut3.4236191
Delaware3.141344
District of Columbia2.861116
Florida3.06223694
Georgia2.94148356
Guam2.0021
Hawaii3.182343
Idaho3.554980
Illinois3.03193664
Indiana3.35145507
Iowa3.24118387
Kansas3.17139296
Kentucky2.76103266
Louisiana2.81162265
Maine3.213678
Maryland3.3156221
Massachusetts3.2085341
Michigan3.10150422
Minnesota3.77136337
Mississippi2.33109202
Missouri3.14119486
Montana3.256361
Nebraska3.5093180
Nevada3.004666
New Hampshire3.172773
New Jersey3.1579348
New Mexico2.484568
New York2.77193592
North Carolina3.30121419
North Dakota3.254772
Northern Mariana Islandsnot reported10
Ohio3.59193924
Oklahoma3.29135283
Oregon3.2562128
Pennsylvania3.48188656
Puerto Rico1.71599
Rhode Island3.551372
South Carolina3.4366187
South Dakota3.896196
Tennessee3.08121303
Texas3.384701,177
U.S. Virgin Islands1.5020
Utah4.245297
Vermont3.251733
Virginia3.6898289
Washington3.23101193
West Virginia2.7655123
Wisconsin3.78143323
Wyoming3.383136

Read the stars in context

Hospital ratings summarize several groups of measures. Nursing home ratings combine inspection, staffing and quality information.

See the source datasets →

What the numbers leave out

Specialist services, availability, distance and your own care needs are not captured by an overall star rating.

Discuss your options with your doctor and check the latest facility record.

Ratings and staffing at a glance

Hospital star distribution

Reported CMS values; missing values are excluded.

View chart values
CategoryValue
1 star198
2 star659
3 star981
4 star944
5 star384

Nursing home star distribution

Reported CMS values; missing values are excluded.

View chart values
CategoryValue
1 star2753
2 star2947
3 star2878
4 star2828
5 star3154

States with the largest share of 5-star hospitals

% of rated hospitals

View chart values
CategoryValue
UT51.72
CO28.57
SD27.78
WI24.42
MN23.21
ID22.73
MT20
MA16.67
MD16.67
VT16.67

Reported nursing hours by state

Hours per resident per day; unweighted facility means

View chart values
CategoryValue
GU7.792
AK6.574
OR5.126
DC5.078
HI4.993
CA4.543
DE4.48
ND4.467
PR4.43
WA4.418
ME4.386
NV4.331
VT4.301
MN4.268
WI4.246
MS4.196
KS4.131
NE4.123
AZ4.081
AR4.078
UT4.076
MI4.029
MT4.022
KY3.991
ID3.989
WY3.982
MA3.937
MD3.93
CT3.904
NJ3.904
AL3.902
PA3.895
VA3.875
NC3.871
SC3.871
NH3.866
IA3.861
FL3.858
SD3.856
TN3.819
LA3.817
OK3.815
RI3.779
IN3.733
OH3.711
WV3.709
CO3.694
NY3.687
GA3.606
NM3.582
IL3.471
TX3.416
MO3.399

Make a more informed shortlist

Browse facilities that meet transparent star thresholds, or review reported fines with their limitations.

5-star hospitals

FacilityCityTypeOverall rating
Yukon Kuskokwim Delta Reg HospitalBethelHospital5 / 5
Fayetteville Ar VA Medical CenterFayettevilleHospital5 / 5
Mercy Hospital ParisParisHospital5 / 5
Mercy Hospital Northwest ArkansasRogersHospital5 / 5
Banner Goldfield Medical CenterApache JunctionHospital5 / 5
Mercy Gilbert Medical CenterGilbertHospital5 / 5
Dignity Health Arizona General HospitalMesaHospital5 / 5
Mayo Clinic HospitalPhoenixHospital5 / 5
Phoenix VA Medical CenterPhoenixHospital5 / 5
VA Northern Arizona Healthcare SystemPrescottHospital5 / 5

5-star nursing homes with staffing 4+

FacilityCityTypeOverall rating
South Peninsula Hospital LtcHomerNursing home5 / 5
Searhc Sitka Long Term CareSitkaNursing home5 / 5
Heritage PlaceSoldotnaNursing home5 / 5
Maple Springs of WasillaWasillaNursing home5 / 5
Wrangell Medical Center LtcWrangellNursing home5 / 5
Adams Rehabilitation and Healthcare CenterAlexander CityNursing home5 / 5
Chapman Healthcare Center, IncAlexander CityNursing home5 / 5
Athens Health and Rehabilitation LLCAthensNursing home5 / 5
Atmore Nursing CenterAtmoreNursing home5 / 5
West Gate VillageBrewtonNursing home5 / 5