US News names 504 top-performing regional hospitals in 2025-2026 rankings

Editor's Note

US News & World Report has named 504 hospitals across 49 states and 95 metro areas to its 2025–2026 list of Best Regional Hospitals, recognizing facilities with superior performance in patient outcomes, nursing care, and procedural quality. The announcement, made July 29, marks the 36th edition of the Best Hospitals rankings and includes detailed evaluations at both state and metropolitan levels.

According to the outlet, the rankings aim to help patients make informed healthcare decisions close to home by highlighting high-performing local facilities. The list is entirely performance-driven, based on objective data including risk-adjusted mortality rates, preventable complications, and nursing care levels. More than 4,400 hospitals were evaluated, with data sourced from over 800 million patient records.

US News also identified top-ranked hospitals in 25 of the country’s most populous metro areas. For example, Emory University Hospital led the Atlanta area, Johns Hopkins Hospital ranked first in Baltimore, and Cleveland Clinic topped the list in Cleveland. In larger cities like New York and Los Angeles, multiple hospitals tied for the top spot. In New York, the No. 1 hospitals include Hackensack University Medical Center, Mount Sinai Hospital, New York-Presbyterian Hospital-Columbia and Cornell, and NYU Langone Hospitals. In Los Angeles, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and UCLA Medical Center shared the top ranking.

The outlet also highlighted 20 hospitals across 13 states on this year’s national Honor Roll. These institutions earned distinction for consistent excellence across multiple areas of care.

This year’s methodology includes several refinements, including the addition of ratings for Heart Arrhythmia and Pacemaker Implantation to the existing Procedures & Conditions ratings, bringing the total to 22 rated procedures and conditions.

The complete list of top-ranked hospitals by state and metro area is available from US News & World Report.