The U.S. lost a net 142 general acute-care hospitals between 2001 and 2023, with closures outpacing openings in 17 of those 23 years, according to data shared with Becker’s from Yale University’s Health Care Affordability Lab in New Haven, Conn.
The figures come from the lab’s Closures and Openings Explorer, which tracks general, short-term acute-care hospitals. The dataset, last updated in June 2026, excludes specialty facilities such as psychiatric, rehabilitation, children’s and VA hospitals. (Note: The lab did not systematically track hospital openings from 2024 forward, so net figures for 2024, 2025 and the partial year 2026 reflect closures only and are not directly comparable to prior years.)
Here is the net change in U.S. hospitals, by year, according to data from the Affordability Lab:
| Year | Openings | Closures | Net change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000* | 0 | 22 | -22 |
| 2001 | 14 | 15 | -1 |
| 2002 | 20 | 32 | -12 |
| 2003 | 11 | 31 | -20 |
| 2004 | 28 | 34 | -6 |
| 2005 | 48 | 26 | +22 |
| 2006 | 22 | 20 | +2 |
| 2007 | 24 | 28 | -4 |
| 2008 | 36 | 29 | +7 |
| 2009 | 15 | 25 | -10 |
| 2010 | 26 | 20 | +6 |
| 2011 | 14 | 13 | +1 |
| 2012 | 29 | 27 | +2 |
| 2013 | 21 | 32 | -11 |
| 2014 | 24 | 40 | -16 |
| 2015 | 20 | 24 | -4 |
| 2016 | 15 | 21 | -6 |
| 2017 | 23 | 25 | -2 |
| 2018 | 8 | 36 | -28 |
| 2019 | 23 | 41 | -18 |
| 2020 | 24 | 37 | -13 |
| 2021 | 21 | 17 | +4 |
| 2022 | 14 | 40 | -26 |
| 2023 | 22 | 31 | -9 |
| 2024** | 2 | 35 | N/A |
| 2025** | 0 | 34 | N/A |
| 2026 (through June)** | 0 | 8 | N/A |
*Openings not tracked for 2000 baseline year.
**The lab did not systematically track openings from 2024 forward; opening counts are undercounted and net figures are not directly comparable to prior years.
Through June 2026, 743 hospitals have closed since 2000, according to the lab’s tracker.
Explore the data here.
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