Obstetric services became increasingly unavailable at U.S. hospitals from 2010 through 2024, with 718 hospitals losing services through obstetric unit or hospital closures, according to a September 2026 report from the University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center.
Here are five things to know:
- Of 5,019 short-term acute care hospitals open at any point from 2010 through 2024, 718, or 14.3%, lost obstetric services.
- By 2024, 49.1% of U.S. hospitals did not provide obstetric services. The share was 57.5% among rural hospitals and 43.6% among urban hospitals. More than half of U.S. counties similarly lack a hospital with labor and delivery services, affecting nearly 370,000 births annually.
- Between 2023 and 2024, 67 hospitals lost obstetric services, including 25 rural hospitals and 42 urban hospitals. Only six hospitals gained obstetric services during that period. A separate analysis found at least 96 publicly reported labor and delivery unit closures across 35 states from January 2024 through May 2026.
- Nearly 36,000 births occurred in 2023 at hospitals that lost obstetric services the following year, including nearly 7,000 births at rural hospitals and 29,000 at urban hospitals.
- Of the 718 hospitals that lost obstetric services from 2010 through 2024, 145, or 20.2%, also closed by 2024. That included 46 rural hospitals and 99 urban hospitals.
