Number of all hospitals in the U.S. 1975-2022
Hospitals in the United States
Hospitals are healthcare institutions which provide treatment for patients and are one of the most important cornerstones of every modern healthcare system. In these facilities, specialized staff and equipment give the best possible care to patients. In the United States, most of the hospitals are non-profit facilities, while the rest are divided into for-profit or state/local government hospitals. Hospitals can be funded by several sources: the public sector, health organizations of all kinds, health insurance companies, charities, etc. Hospitals can often trace their roots back to religious orders or were founded by charitable individual sponsors.
The number of hospitals in the U.S. has shown a steady decline since 1975. Hence, the number of hospital beds have also been decreasing, standing at 916,752 in 2022, a number that is significantly lower than the 1.5 million beds that were counted in 1975. In the United States, some 33.7 million hospital admissions were reported in 2022.
It is a small wonder that hospital costs make up a large portion of total U.S. healthcare expenditure. Roughly one third of the total healthcare costs were attributed to U.S. hospital care.