Average hospital operating expenses vary greatly from state to state, from $70 million in Wyoming to half a billion dollars in New York.
Below is an overview of hospital expenses by state, including adjusted expenses per inpatient day and average hospital operating expense, both for 2021. Adjusted expenses per inpatient day data is sourced from the American Hospital Association, accessed via Kaiser State Health Facts. Average operating expense data is sourced from Definitive Healthcare's HospitalView product, which is based on Medicare Cost Reports and based on 5,960 hospitals.
Alabama
Expenses per inpatient day: $1,822
Average hospital operating expense: $130.45 million
Alaska
Expenses per inpatient day: $1,825
Average hospital operating expense: $152.40 million
Arizona
Expenses per inpatient day: $3,134
Average hospital operating expense: $195.63 million
Arkansas
Expenses per inpatient day: $2,091
Average hospital operating expense: $90.23 million
California
Expenses per inpatient day: $4,181
Average hospital operating expense: $371.12 million
Colorado
Expenses per inpatient day: $3,273
Average hospital operating expense: $179.99 million
Connecticut
Expenses per inpatient day: $3,237
Average hospital operating expense: $396.95 million
Delaware
Expenses per inpatient day: $3,283
Average hospital operating expense: $287.78 million
District of Columbia
Expenses per inpatient day: $3,974
Average hospital operating expense: $466.85 million
Florida
Expenses per inpatient day: $2,629
Average hospital operating expense: $260.65 million
Georgia
Expenses per inpatient day: $2,147
Average hospital operating expense: $199.57 million
Hawaii
Expenses per inpatient day: $3,014
Average hospital operating expense: $177.56 million
Idaho
Expenses per inpatient day: $2,866
Average hospital operating expense: $130.53 million
Illinois
Expenses per inpatient day: $2,997
Average hospital operating expense: $233.94 million
Indiana
Expenses per inpatient day: $3,029
Average hospital operating expense: $164.82 million
Iowa
Expenses per inpatient day: $1,861
Average hospital operating expense: $90.25 million
Kansas
Expenses per inpatient day: $2,270
Average hospital operating expense: $77.18 million
Kentucky
Expenses per inpatient day: $2,468
Average hospital operating expense: $155.98 million
Louisiana
Expenses per inpatient day: $2,479
Average hospital operating expense: $86.99 million
Maine
Expenses per inpatient day: $2,765
Average hospital operating expense: $185.97 million
Maryland
Expenses per inpatient day: $3,440
Average hospital operating expense: $335.06 million
Massachusetts
Expenses per inpatient day: $3,377
Average hospital operating expense: $387.06 million
Michigan
Expenses per inpatient day: $2,387
Average hospital operating expense: $243.53 million
Minnesota
Expenses per inpatient day: $2,561
Average hospital operating expense: $169.10 million
Mississippi
Expenses per inpatient day: $1,305
Average hospital operating expense: $84.22 million
Missouri
Expenses per inpatient day: $2,647
Average hospital operating expense: $201.39 million
Montana
Expenses per inpatient day: $2,244
Average hospital operating expense: $84.87 million
Nebraska
Expenses per inpatient day: $2,582
Average hospital operating expense: $90.66 million
Nevada
Expenses per inpatient day: $2,475
Average hospital operating expense: $140.23 million
New Hampshire
Expenses per inpatient day: $2,937
Average hospital operating expense: $201.24 million
New Jersey
Expenses per inpatient day: $3,157
Average hospital operating expense: $326.21 million
New Mexico
Expenses per inpatient day: $3,493
Average hospital operating expense: $131.54 million
New York
Expenses per inpatient day: $3,609
Average hospital operating expense: $513.53 million
North Carolina
Expenses per inpatient day: $2,573
Average hospital operating expense: $272.08 million
North Dakota
Expenses per inpatient day: $2,140
Average hospital operating expense: $100.22 million
Ohio
Expenses per inpatient day: $3,162
Average hospital operating expense: $243.48 million
Oklahoma
Expenses per inpatient day: $2,209
Average hospital operating expense: $96.97 million
Oregon
Expenses per inpatient day: $3,861
Average hospital operating expense: $250.18 million
Pennsylvania
Expenses per inpatient day: $2,825
Average hospital operating expense: $246.26 million
Rhode Island
Expenses per inpatient day: $3,010
Average hospital operating expense: $330.83 million
South Carolina
Expenses per inpatient day: $2,511
Average hospital operating expense: $206.06 million
South Dakota
Expenses per inpatient day: $1,632
Average hospital operating expense: $92.73 million
Tennessee
Expenses per inpatient day: $2,451
Average hospital operating expense: $170.73 million
Texas
Expenses per inpatient day: $2,913
Average hospital operating expense: $155.38 million
Utah
Expenses per inpatient day: $3,179
Average hospital operating expense: $164.29 million
Vermont
Expenses per inpatient day: $2,948
Average hospital operating expense: $199 million
Virginia
Expenses per inpatient day: $2,518
Average hospital operating expense: $239.82 million
Washington
Expenses per inpatient day: $3,806
Average hospital operating expense: $271.01 million
West Virginia
Expenses per inpatient day: $2,153
Average hospital operating expense: $137.90 million
Wisconsin
Expenses per inpatient day: $2,709
Average hospital operating expense: $178.91 million
Wyoming
Expenses per inpatient day: $1,796
Average hospital operating expense: $70.32 million