A plethora of important health decisions come with pregnancy, and perhaps one of the biggest centers on where you’ll deliver baby. If you are on the hunt for a maternity hospital you can count on, it’s worth taking a look at U.S. News and World Report’s 2025 list of the Best Hospitals for Maternity Care.

The report expands on U.S. News’ existing best hospitals rankings and is designed to "assist expectant parents, in consultation with their doctors, in making informed decisions about where to receive maternity care for uncomplicated births,” U.S. News explained in this year's press release.

To compile its list, U.S. News sent a maternity services survey to private hospitals across America. Using objective data submitted by a record 817 hospitals this year (that's 137 more hospitals than last year), the researchers determined the quality of care based on three categories: outcomes, process and structure.

Outcomes refers to the results of care, including death, harm to patients and other consequences. Hospitals rated “Best” for Maternity Care:

Have C-section rates 22% lower compared with maternity care hospitals not recognized by U.S. News.
Have severe unexpected newborn complication rates 44% lower.
Have episiotomy rates 33% lower.

Process refers to the way in which diagnoses, treatments and practices to avoid harm to patients are rendered. Hospitals rated “Best” for Maternity Care:

Have breast milk feeding rates 12% higher
Were 13% more likely to report race/ethnicity data for both C-section and severe unexpected newborn complications

Structure refers to hospital resources connected with patient care. Hospitals rated “Best” for Maternity Care were 47% more likely to be designated as “Baby-Friendly” by Baby Friendly USA, indicating a hospital has taken important steps to support breastfeeding.

After scrutinizing the scores of 817 hospitals just half of the hospitals were rated as "Best" or "High Preforming" hospitals. “These high-performing hospitals showcase exceptional care for expectant parents, demonstrating significantly lower C-section rates and severe unexpected newborn complications compared to hospitals not recognized by U.S. News,” said Jennifer Winston, Ph.D., health data scientist at U.S. News.

Introduced last year, 118 hospitals were also given special recognition as Maternity Care Access Hospitals for their role in serving communities that depend on them for access to vital maternity care services. "While growing maternity care deserts in parts of the country have left millions of people without local access to maternity care, these U.S. News-recognized Maternity Care Access Hospitals persist in providing this vital service to under-resourced communities,” Winston added.

Overall 75 hospitals were recognized as both Maternity Care Access Hospitals and Best Hospitals for Maternity Care. The following ten metropolitan areas, listed in alphabetical order, have the greatest number of "Best Hospitals for Maternity Care in the U.S.:

Chicago
Dallas-Fort Worth
Denver
Detroit
Los Angeles
New York
Philadelphia
Riverside-San Bernardino
San Francisco
Seattle

While the list may be helpful, it’s important to note that it does not address high-risk pregnancies or account for limiting factors, such as household income and geographical area. To view the rankings for the best maternity hospitals and browse those near you, visit U.S.News.com.

OB-GYN & Prenatal Care