122 hospitals in Kentucky
As of the July 2026 CMS release, Kentucky has 122 open hospitals in 86 cities, 103 of them with an emergency department. The median emergency room visit lasts 2 hr 20 min, 8 min shorter than the US median of 2 hr 28 min. 18 of the 74 hospitals Medicare rates hold 4 or 5 stars (6 with 5), and the state average is 2.8 stars.
Hospitals
122
in 91 Kentucky cities
With an ER
103
84% of hospitals
Kentucky has 122 open hospitals across 91 cities. By type: 66 acute care hospitals, 29 critical access hospitals, 11 psychiatric hospitals, 4 rehabilitation hospitals, 2 rural emergency hospitals, 2 VA acute care hospitals, 1 long-term care hospital and 1 military acute care hospital (type not recorded for 6).
Kentucky's largest hospital cities
Louisville
12 hospitals · 9 with an ER
- Median ER
- 3 hr 12 min
- Top rated
- Louisville VA Medical Center (5★)
Bowling Green
4 hospitals · 2 with an ER
- Median ER
- 3 hr 2 min
- Top rated
- Greenview Regional Hospital (2★)
Hopkinsville
3 hospitals · 1 with an ER
- Median ER
- 2 hr 47 min
- Top rated
- Jennie Stuart Medical Center (1★)
Covington
2 hospitals · 1 with an ER
- Median ER
- 2 hr 12 min
- Top rated
- St Elizabeth Medical Center North (5★)
Top-rated hospitals and shortest ER visits
Highest Medicare star ratings
- St Elizabeth Med Center-SouthEdgewood
- St Elizabeth Medical Center NorthCovington
- Baptist Hospital NortheastLa Grange
- St Elizabeth Ft ThomasFort Thomas
- Spring View HospitalLebanon
- Louisville VA Medical CenterLouisville
- Livingston Hospital and HealthcareSalem
- Saint Joseph BereaBerea
Shortest median ER visits
- Arh Our Lady of the WayMartin 1 hr 24 min
- McDowell Arh HospitalMcDowell 1 hr 26 min
- Bluegrass Community HospitalVersailles 1 hr 32 min
- Marshall County HospitalBenton 1 hr 32 min
- Cumberland County HospitalBurkesville 1 hr 33 min
- Casey County HospitalLiberty 1 hr 34 min
- The James B Haggin Memorial HospitalHarrodsburg 1 hr 39 min
- Breckinridge Memorial HospitalIrvington 1 hr 40 min
See every Kentucky ER ranked by wait · See every Kentucky hospital ranked by stars · by patient rating · by infections and safety
All Kentucky cities with hospitals
B
- Barbourville (1)
- Bardstown (2)
- Benton (2)
- Berea (1)
- Bowling Green (4)
- Burkesville (2)
C
- Cadiz (1)
- Campbellsville (1)
- Carlisle (1)
- Carrollton (1)
- Columbia (2)
- Corbin (1)
- Covington (2)
- Cynthiana (1)
D
- Danville (1)
E
- Edgewood (2)
- Elizabethtown (2)
F
- Flemingsburg (3)
- Florence (2)
- Fort Campbell (2)
- Fort Knox (1)
- Fort Thomas (1)
- Frankfort (1)
- Franklin (1)
- Fulton (1)
G
- Georgetown (1)
- Glasgow (1)
- Greensburg (1)
- Greenville (1)
H
- Harlan (1)
- Harrodsburg (1)
- Hartford (1)
- Hazard (1)
- Henderson (1)
- Hopkinsville (3)
- Horse Cave (1)
- Hyden (1)
L
- La Grange (1)
- Lebanon (1)
- Leitchfield (1)
- Lexington (13)
- Liberty (1)
- London (2)
- Louisa (1)
- Louisville (18)
M
- Madisonville (1)
- Manchester (2)
- Marion (3)
- Martin (1)
- Mayfield (1)
- Maysville (1)
- McDowell (2)
- Middlesboro (1)
- Monticello (1)
- Morehead (1)
- Morganfield (1)
- Mt Sterling (2)
- Mt Vernon (1)
- Murray (1)
P
- Paducah (2)
- Paintsville (1)
- Paris (1)
- Pikeville (1)
- Pineville (2)
- Prestonsburg (1)
- Princeton (2)
R
- Radcliff (1)
- Richmond (2)
- Russell (1)
- Russell Springs (1)
- Russellville (1)
S
- Salem (1)
- Scottsville (1)
- Shelbyville (1)
- Somerset (1)
- South Williamson (1)
- Stanford (2)
T
- Tompkinsville (1)
V
- Versailles (1)
W
- West Liberty (1)
- Whitesburg (1)
- Williamstown (1)
- Winchester (1)
People and health care in Kentucky
From the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (2020–2024).
Population
4,534,824
Median age 39.1
Hospitals per 100,000
2.7
122 hospitals listed · #18 of 50 states
No health insurance
6%
below the U.S. 8.4%
Age 65 and over
17.3%
about the U.S. rate
Median household income
$63,726
U.S. $80,734
What nurses earn in Kentucky
Questions about hospitals in Kentucky
How many hospitals are in Kentucky?
There are 122 open hospitals in Kentucky across 91 cities. 103 of them have an emergency department.
Which Kentucky city has the most hospitals?
Louisville, with 18 hospitals. Lexington is next with 11.
How long is the ER wait in Kentucky?
The median emergency room visit in Kentucky lasts 2 hr 20 min, 8 min shorter than the US median of 2 hr 28 min. That is a 12-month median from CMS, not a live wait time.
How many Kentucky hospitals have 5 stars?
6 of the 74 Kentucky hospitals with a Medicare overall star rating have 5 stars, and 18 have 4 or 5 stars. The average rating is 2.8 out of 5.
Hospitals in neighboring states
Source: hospital listings from CMS and public records; emergency room wait times (measure OP-18b) and overall star ratings from CMS Care Compare. Wait times are 12-month medians, not live. Where these figures come from.
Not affiliated with CMS. For a medical emergency, call 911.