May 27, 2026
Federal Health Department (HHS) Reports on the State of Rural Hospitals
Policy researchers and analysts within the HHS office for planning and evaluation (ASPE) used a Cox proportional hazards model to identify low occupancy rates, for-profit ownership, and proximity to an urban county as key determinants of rural hospital closure or conversion to outpatient-only facilities. The brief is accompanied by a data dashboard that features an interactive map with comprehensive information on rural hospitals, both open and closed, spanning 2012 to 2023.
Consult the dashboard’s User Guide to understand how to filter data by year, hospital name, closure status, state, occupancy rate, ownership type, and system affiliation. The dashboard also includes hospital level information such as occupancy rates, number of beds, Medicare and Medicaid share of discharges, liability-to-asset ratios, and annual profit margins.
Click Here to Read Report
Click Here to Access dashboard User Guide
Click Here to Access Data Dashboard