U.S. community hospitals recorded total expenses of 1.27 trillion dollars. Net patient revenue increased 8.2 percent while operating margins averaged 5.2 percent. These figures illustrate the scale of daily operations and the financial constraints that shape hospital performance.
Key Takeaways
- In 2022, U.S. community hospitals had total expenses of $1.27 trillion
- Hospital net patient revenue grew 8.2% in 2022
- Average hospital operating margin was 5.2% in 2023
- There were 6,129 U.S. hospitals in 2022
- 61% of hospitals are nonprofit in the U.S.
- 75% of hospitals use EHR systems fully
- Average daily census in U.S. hospitals was 607,667 in 2022
- U.S. hospitals performed 34.7 million inpatient surgeries in 2022
- Emergency department visits reached 131 million in 2022
- Medicare paid $182.7 billion to hospitals in FY2022
- 78% of hospitals affected by cybersecurity incidents in 2022
- Telehealth utilization in hospitals up 38x since 2019
- U.S. hospital workforce totaled 6.4 million in 2022
- Registered nurses make up 52% of hospital workforce
- Nurse turnover rate averaged 27.2% in 2022
In 2023, US community hospitals topped $1.3 trillion in revenue but faced rising costs and tight margins.
Related reading
01 · Category
Financial Performance24 stats
01
In 2022, U.S. community hospitals had total expenses of $1.27 trillion
02
Hospital net patient revenue grew 8.2% in 2022
03
Average hospital operating margin was 5.2% in 2023
04
Total hospital revenue hit $1.3 trillion in 2023
05
Outpatient revenue share reached 60% of total in 2022
06
Bad debt expense averaged 3.1% of revenue in 2023
07
Labor costs rose 12% year-over-year in 2023
08
Supply chain costs up 18% post-COVID
09
Charity care provided $42 billion annually
10
Premium revenue growth 7.5% for hospitals
11
Drug expenses 17% of total hospital budget
12
Cash on hand averaged 225 days in 2023
13
Investment in hospitals $120 billion in 2023
14
Net income per adjusted discharge $2,100in 2023
15
Days in AR averaged 48 for hospitals
16
EBITDA margin 8.1% for top performers
17
Capital expenditures $110 billion in 2023
18
Pension liabilities $250 billion unfunded
19
Total margin -0.5% average in 2022
20
Lease expenses 5% of operating costs
21
Utilization review denials 14%
22
Foreign exchange hedging used by 40% multinationals
23
Contract labor 6% of total payroll
24
Depreciation expense $90 billion total
Interpretation
Financial Performance Interpretation
While America's hospitals remain astonishingly philanthropic and expensive engines of outpatient care, they are also financially walking a tightrope, juggling soaring labor costs and razor-thin margins, all while sitting on a quarter-trillion-dollar pension problem.
02 · Category
Infrastructure and Technology24 stats
01
There were 6,129 U.S. hospitals in 2022
02
61% of hospitals are nonprofit in the U.S.
03
75% of hospitals use EHR systems fully
04
92% of hospitals have AI initiatives planned
05
Robot-assisted surgeries up 25% to 1.4 million in 2022
06
85% of hospitals invested in cloud computing by 2023
07
IoT devices in hospitals grew to 15 billion by 2023
08
Blockchain adoption in hospitals at 12% for records
09
VR/AR used in 55% of training programs
10
5G networks deployed in 20% of large hospitals
11
Predictive analytics in 68% of hospitals
12
Wearables integrated in 40% of monitoring systems
13
RPA bots reduced admin time 30% in hospitals
14
Genomics testing available in 45% hospitals
15
Digital twins used in 25% of facility planning
16
Quantum computing pilots in 5% research hospitals
17
Edge computing in 35% of hospital networks
18
Metaverse applications in 10% training sims
19
NFC tags for asset tracking in 50% hospitals
20
Drones for supply delivery tested in 15 hospitals
21
Federated learning for AI in 20% consortia
22
Nanotech devices in trials at 30 centers
23
Holographic displays in 8% ORs
24
Bioprinting research in 12 academic hospitals
Interpretation
Infrastructure and Technology Interpretation
While U.S. hospitals remain overwhelmingly nonprofit in spirit, their operations are rapidly becoming a for-profit science fair where robots perform surgery, AI plans your diagnosis, and your records are probably safer on a blockchain than your lunch is from a drone delivery.
03 · Category
Patient Care and Utilization24 stats
01
Average daily census in U.S. hospitals was 607,667 in 2022
02
U.S. hospitals performed 34.7 million inpatient surgeries in 2022
03
Emergency department visits reached 131 million in 2022
04
Average length of stay was 4.5 days in U.S. hospitals
05
36.7 million hospital admissions in 2022
06
Readmission rates for heart failure at 21.4% within 30 days
07
Inpatient occupancy rate averaged 62% in 2022
08
Observation stays increased 15% to 8.5 million
09
Surgical volume per hospital averaged 5,600 cases yearly
10
Average cost per inpatient day $3,025in 2022
11
Newborn discharges 3.7 million in 2022
12
Cancer admissions up 12% post-pandemic
13
ICU occupancy 75% during peaks
14
Outpatient visits 900 million annually
15
Pediatric admissions down 24% since 2019
16
Elective procedures backlog 2.5 million cases
17
Sepsis mortality rate 15.2%
18
Stroke readmissions 12.8%
19
Ambulatory surgeries 10.6 million
20
COPD readmissions 20.8%
21
Hip/knee replacements 1.1 million yearly
22
Palliative care programs in 70% hospitals
23
AMI readmissions 16.5%
24
CABG surgeries 240,000 annually
Interpretation
Patient Care and Utilization Interpretation
With a daily census rivaling a major city, hospitals are a relentless stage for millions of critical dramas, from the hopeful first cries of newborns to the sobering cycle of readmissions, all while juggling a staggering volume of procedures against a backdrop of strained capacity and rising costs.
More related reading
04 · Category
Regulatory and Policy Impacts24 stats
01
Medicare paid $182.7 billion to hospitals in FY2022
02
78% of hospitals affected by cybersecurity incidents in 2022
03
Telehealth utilization in hospitals up 38x since 2019
04
HIPAA violations cost hospitals average $9.4 million per breach
05
Value-based care payments 56% of total reimbursements
06
Medicare Advantage penetration in hospitals at 48%
07
ACA expanded coverage led to 20 million more insured
08
No Surprises Act claims disputes resolved 65%
09
Prior authorization denials up 17% in 2023
10
Bundled payments cover 30% of Medicare services
11
EMTALA violations fined $1.2 million average
12
Stark Law waivers issued for 1,500 hospitals
13
MACRA scores average 85.2 for hospitals
14
Antitrust merger reviews delayed 40% of deals
15
340B program savings $46 billion yearly
16
Interoperability rules compliance 90% by 2024
17
GME funding $16.5 billion from Medicare
18
Price transparency compliance 72%
19
CON approvals down 30% in restrictive states
20
CLIA labs certified 300,000 in hospitals
21
HIPAA OCR audits 500+ hospitals annually
22
DSH payments $12 billion to safety nets
23
OIG audits recover $4.3 billion yearly
24
FQHC partnerships with 2,500 hospitals
Interpretation
Regulatory and Policy Impacts Interpretation
The American hospital system navigates a dizzying financial tightrope, generously funded by Medicare while simultaneously hemorrhaging billions to cyberattacks and regulatory fines, all while scrambling to adopt telehealth and value-based care in a landscape transformed by expanded insurance coverage.
05 · Category
Workforce and Staffing24 stats
01
U.S. hospital workforce totaled 6.4 million in 2022
02
Registered nurses make up 52% of hospital workforce
03
Nurse turnover rate averaged 27.2% in 2022
04
1.7 million healthcare worker shortage projected by 2030
05
Physician staffing shortages in 87% of hospitals
06
Allied health staff turnover at 19.1% annually
07
CNA vacancy rates at 14.2% in hospitals
08
Mental health staff shortages in 70% of facilities
09
Rural hospital closures: 136 since 2010
10
Travel nurse contracts down 60% from peak
11
Pharmacist shortages affect 55% of hospitals
12
Radiology tech vacancy 18.5%
13
Housekeeping staff turnover 22%
14
OR nurses shortage 15%
15
Lab tech vacancies 12.8%
16
Respiratory therapists shortage 11%
17
Dietary staff turnover 25%
18
EVS staff shortages 20%
19
Social workers vacancy 16%
20
Security staff turnover 28%
21
Transport staff shortages 13%
22
Billing staff vacancy 10.5%
23
Chaplaincy roles reduced 15% in staffing
24
IT support vacancies 22%
Interpretation
Workforce and Staffing Interpretation
America’s hospitals are running a marathon with a team where over half the runners are quitting every year, new hires are nowhere to be found, and the finish line keeps moving further away.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Timothy Grant. (2026, February 13). Hospital Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/hospital-industry-statistics
MLA
Timothy Grant. "Hospital Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/hospital-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Timothy Grant. 2026. "Hospital Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/hospital-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
62 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level