What does this er hospital distance ranking show?

It orders states by Miles to nearest ER-capable hospital. It is a comparison of this one published measure, not an overall ranking of where to live.

Where do these figures come from?

CMS Hospital General Information; Census Geocoder; HRSA supplies this measure. States without a comparable published value are shown as not ranked rather than estimated.

How should I use this ranking?

Use it to narrow a search, then open a state or county profile for the underlying figures, source dates and caveats. A statewide number may not describe every neighbourhood.

Lowest er hospital distance by state

Miles to nearest ER-capable hospital.

Straight-line miles from the county's population-weighted center to the nearest CMS-listed hospital with emergency services; driving distance can be longer, especially across mountains or water. The facility set includes 4,483 hospitals: CMS supplies the emergency-department flag, Census geocodes the address, and HRSA's CMS-provider-number point layer recovers most Census misses. Six military-base facilities are excluded because they are not generally public access; six ordinary hospitals remain unresolved and are excluded rather than guessed. This is access context, not ambulance travel time or a guarantee of capacity.

How to read this ranking

District of Columbia has the lowest published er hospital distance in this comparison, at 1.1 mi. The next states shown are Rhode Island (1.7 mi) and Nevada (2.1 mi).

The table orders 51 states by miles to nearest er-capable hospital. It describes one published measure, not an overall judgment about where to live.

Use the result as a starting point, then compare the underlying source, dates, and local county figures before making a decision. Straight-line miles from the county's population-weighted center to the nearest CMS-listed hospital with emergency services; driving distance can be longer, especially across mountains or water. The facility set includes 4,483 hospitals: CMS supplies the emergency-department flag, Census geocodes the address, and HRSA's CMS-provider-number point layer recovers most Census misses. Six military-base facilities are excluded because they are not generally public access; six ordinary hospitals remain unresolved and are excluded rather than guessed. This is access context, not ambulance travel time or a guarantee of capacity.

1District of Columbia1.1 mi
2Rhode Island1.7 mi
3Nevada2.1 mi
4Illinois2.6 mi
5Nebraska2.7 mi
6New York2.9 mi
7Maryland3.1 mi
8Utah3.1 mi
9Indiana3.3 mi
10Kansas3.3 mi
11Pennsylvania3.3 mi
12Idaho3.4 mi
13New Jersey3.4 mi
14Ohio3.4 mi
15Oregon3.4 mi
16California3.5 mi
17Texas3.5 mi
18Colorado3.6 mi
19Oklahoma3.6 mi
20Florida3.7 mi
21Iowa3.7 mi
22North Carolina3.7 mi
23Wisconsin3.7 mi
24Massachusetts3.8 mi
25Michigan3.8 mi
26Tennessee3.8 mi
27Connecticut3.9 mi
28Mississippi4.0 mi
29West Virginia4.1 mi
30Arkansas4.2 mi
31Arizona4.2 mi
32Kentucky4.2 mi
33Louisiana4.2 mi
34Alabama4.3 mi
35Virginia4.4 mi
36Montana4.5 mi
37North Dakota4.5 mi
38South Dakota4.6 mi
39Delaware4.7 mi
40Wyoming4.7 mi
41Vermont4.8 mi
42New Mexico4.9 mi
43South Carolina5.3 mi
44Georgia5.4 mi
45Washington5.6 mi
46Hawaii5.7 mi
47Missouri5.7 mi
48Minnesota5.9 mi
49Maine7.4 mi
50New Hampshire7.6 mi
51Alaska16 mi

Related health rankings

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These guides combine this measure with other clearly named inputs; they are not overall state verdicts.

States to consider for aging in place →

Frequently asked questions

What does this ranking show?: It orders states by Miles to nearest ER-capable hospital. It is one measure, not an overall verdict on where to live.
Where do the figures come from?: CMS Hospital General Information; Census Geocoder; HRSA. States without a comparable published figure are listed as not ranked rather than estimated.
How should I use it?: Use it to narrow your search, then open a state or county profile for the source date, caveats and local context.

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<iframe src="https://movermath.com/embed/er-hospital-distance" width="100%" height="420" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Miles to nearest ER-capable hospital by state"></iframe>

Source: CMS Hospital General Information; Census Geocoder; HRSA. · How this is built

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