Best Hospitals in Iowa (2026): 62 Ranked by CMS Stars

State rank #24 of 50 In the middle of the pack · all states

Average rating 3.24 stars +0.03 vs U.S. U.S. is 3.21

Rated 4–5 stars 45% 28 of 62 hospitals

Rated 1–2 stars 29% 18 of 62 hospitals

Top 5 hospitals in Iowa by CMS stars

#	Hospital	City
1	Alegent Health Mercy Hospital	Council Bluffs
2	Cass County Memorial Hospital	Atlantic
3	Clarke County Hospital	Osceola
4	Iowa City VA Medical Center	Iowa City
5	Palmer Lutheran Health Center	West Union

See all 62 ranked

How Iowa hospitals are rated

Number of rated hospitals at each star level. Pick a level to filter the list below.

All 62 rated hospitals in Iowa

Sorted from the highest CMS overall rating to the lowest. 59 other Iowa hospitals in our directory have no CMS rating, usually because they report too few measures.

Showing the top 25 of 62 hospitals

Iowa hospitals by CMS overall star rating, October 2026
Hospital	City	Type
Alegent Health Mercy HospitalCouncil Bluffs Acute care	Council Bluffs	Acute care
Cass County Memorial HospitalAtlantic Critical Access	Atlantic	Critical Access
Clarke County HospitalOsceola Critical Access	Osceola	Critical Access
Iowa City VA Medical CenterIowa City VA	Iowa City	VA
Palmer Lutheran Health CenterWest Union Critical Access	West Union	Critical Access
Van Diest Medical CenterWebster City Critical Access	Webster City	Critical Access
Waverly Health CenterWaverly Critical Access	Waverly	Critical Access
CHI Health Missouri ValleyMissouri Valley Critical Access	Missouri Valley	Critical Access
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Clarinda Regional Health CenterClarinda Critical Access	Clarinda	Critical Access
Compass Memorial HealthcareMarengo Critical Access	Marengo	Critical Access
Jones Regional Medical CenterAnamosa Critical Access	Anamosa	Critical Access
Mahaska Health PartnershipOskaloosa Critical Access	Oskaloosa	Critical Access
Mary Greeley Medical CenterAmes Acute care	Ames	Acute care
Mercy Medical Center - Cedar RapidsCedar Rapids Acute care	Cedar Rapids	Acute care
Mercy Medical Center-ClintonClinton Acute care	Clinton	Acute care
MercyOne Newton Medical CenterNewton Acute care	Newton	Acute care
MercyOne Waterloo Medical CenterWaterloo Acute care	Waterloo	Acute care
Pella Regional Health CenterPella Critical Access	Pella	Critical Access
Regional Health Services of Howard CountyCresco Critical Access	Cresco	Critical Access
Regional Medical CenterManchester Critical Access	Manchester	Critical Access
Southeast Iowa Regional Medical CenterWest Burlington Acute care	West Burlington	Acute care
Spencer Municipal HospitalSpencer Acute care	Spencer	Acute care
St Lukes HospitalCedar Rapids Acute care	Cedar Rapids	Acute care
Trinity MuscatineMuscatine Acute care	Muscatine	Acute care
University of Iowa Health Care Medical Center DowntownIowa City Acute care	Iowa City	Acute care
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VA Central Iowa Healthcare SystemDes Moines VA	Des Moines	VA
Virginia Gay HospitalVinton Critical Access	Vinton	Critical Access
WinnmedDecorah Critical Access	Decorah	Critical Access
Alegent Health Mercy HospitalCorning Critical Access	Corning	Critical Access
Allen Memorial HospitalWaterloo Acute care	Waterloo	Acute care
Broadlawns Medical CenterDes Moines Acute care	Des Moines	Acute care
Burgess Health CenterOnawa Critical Access	Onawa	Critical Access
Floyd County Medical CenterCharles City Critical Access	Charles City	Critical Access
Floyd Valley HospitalLe Mars Critical Access	Le Mars	Critical Access
Greater Regional Medical CenterCreston Critical Access	Creston	Critical Access
Iowa Methodist Medical CenterDes Moines Acute care	Des Moines	Acute care
Jennie Edmundson HospitalCouncil Bluffs Acute care	Council Bluffs	Acute care
Marshalltown Medical & Surgical CenterMarshalltown Acute care	Marshalltown	Acute care
Mercy Medical Center-DubuqueDubuque Acute care	Dubuque	Acute care
Mitchell County Regional HealthOsage Critical Access	Osage	Critical Access
Myrtue Medical CenterHarlan Critical Access	Harlan	Critical Access
Orange City Area Health SystemOrange City Critical Access	Orange City	Critical Access
The Finley HospitalDubuque Acute care	Dubuque	Acute care
Trinity Medical CenterDavenport Acute care	Davenport	Acute care
Avera Holy Family HealthEstherville Critical Access	Estherville	Critical Access
Buena Vista Regional Medical CenterStorm Lake Critical Access	Storm Lake	Critical Access
Cherokee Regional Medical CenterCherokee Critical Access	Cherokee	Critical Access
Crawford County Memorial HospitalDenison Critical Access	Denison	Critical Access
Genesis Medical Center-DavenportDavenport Acute care	Davenport	Acute care
Grinnell Regional Medical CenterGrinnell Acute care	Grinnell	Acute care
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Jefferson County Health CenterFairfield Critical Access	Fairfield	Critical Access
Knoxville Hospital & ClinicsKnoxville Critical Access	Knoxville	Critical Access
Lakes Regional HealthcareSpirit Lake Acute care	Spirit Lake	Acute care
Mercy Medical Center-North IowaMason City Acute care	Mason City	Acute care
MercyOne Siouxland Medical CenterSioux City Acute care	Sioux City	Acute care
Ottumwa Regional Health CenterOttumwa Acute care	Ottumwa	Acute care
St Anthony Regional Hospital & Nursing HomeCarroll Critical Access	Carroll	Critical Access
St Lukes Regional Medical CenterSioux City Acute care	Sioux City	Acute care
Trinity Regional Medical CenterFort Dodge Acute care	Fort Dodge	Acute care
University of Iowa Hospital & ClinicsIowa City Acute care	Iowa City	Acute care
Kossuth Regional Health CenterAlgona Critical Access	Algona	Critical Access
Mercy Medical Center-Des MoinesDes Moines Acute care	Des Moines	Acute care

All Iowa hospitals Iowa ER wait times Iowa patient ratings Iowa infections and safety

Latest national report: 79% of Utah's rated hospitals have 4 or 5 CMS stars; 14% of Mississippi's do (Nov 13, 2026)

How Iowa compares with its neighbors

Rank	State	Avg stars	Rated 4–5 ★	5 ★ / 1 ★
#3	South Dakota	3.89	72%	5 / 0
#4	Wisconsin	3.78	64%	21 / 2
#5	Minnesota	3.77	63%	13 / 1
#10	Nebraska	3.50	64%	0 / 0
#24	Iowa	3.24	45%	7 / 2
#33	Missouri	3.14	42%	5 / 3
#39	Illinois	3.04	36%	14 / 14

Questions about Iowa hospital ratings

What are the best-rated hospitals in Iowa?

7 Iowa hospitals have the top 5-star CMS rating: Alegent Health Mercy Hospital (Council Bluffs), Cass County Memorial Hospital (Atlantic), Clarke County Hospital (Osceola), Iowa City VA Medical Center (Iowa City), Palmer Lutheran Health Center (West Union), Van Diest Medical Center (Webster City) and 1 more, all listed on this page.

How does Iowa rank for hospital quality?

Iowa ranks #24 of 50 states. Its 62 rated hospitals average 3.24 stars, against a U.S. average of 3.21. 45% are rated 4 or 5 stars and 29% are rated 1 or 2 stars.

How many Iowa hospitals have a 1-star rating?

2 of 62 rated Iowa hospitals have the lowest 1-star rating, and 16 have 2 stars.

Why isn't my hospital on this list?

Only hospitals with a CMS overall star rating are listed. 59 other Iowa hospitals in our directory have no rating, usually because they report too few measures. That is common for small rural, critical access and specialty hospitals. Every hospital still has its own page in the Iowa hospital directory.

Cite this data

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Source: <a href="https://www.hospitalsineachstate.com/hospital-ratings/iowa/">Iowa hospital star ratings</a>, HospitalsInEachState.com analysis of CMS Care Compare overall star ratings (October 2026 release)

Plain-text credit

Source: HospitalsInEachState.com analysis of CMS Care Compare overall star ratings (October 2026 release), https://www.hospitalsineachstate.com/hospital-ratings/iowa/

Reference (APA style)

HospitalsInEachState.com. (2026). Iowa hospital star ratings (October 2026 release) [Data set]. https://www.hospitalsineachstate.com/hospital-ratings/iowa/

Figures as of the October 2026 CMS release Updated automatically when CMS publishes new data Permanent link: hospitalsineachstate.com/hospital-ratings/iowa/

Download the data (CSV) See how all 50 states rank

Source: CMS Care Compare, Hospital General Information, published October 2026. Each facility is counted once by its CMS Certification Number. Updated automatically when CMS publishes new data.

A star rating summarizes many measures and does not capture every service. Talk to your doctor about which hospital is right for your care. About the data. Not affiliated with CMS. For a medical emergency, call 911.