By the Numbers: Nondelivery zones

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Rural communities are the hardest hit as maternity wards become scarcer

Illustration by Krieg Barrie

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537

The number of U.S. hospitals that have closed maternity wards since 2010, according to a study published in JAMA in December. While several dozen urban hospitals have added maternity wards since 2010, falling birth rates, staffing issues, and low profitability have led many medical centers to reconsider whether to offer labor and delivery departments, especially in rural locations.

25%

The share of rural hospitals that closed their obstetrics units between 2011 and 2021, according to health consulting firm Chartis, leaving less than half of rural hospitals with active maternity wards.

41%

The share of U.S. births covered by Medicaid, which pays a flat rate typically less than what most private insurance plans pay.

3,596,017

The number of live births in the United States recorded by federal health officials in 2023, down 2 percent from 2022.

Family & Society

By the Numbers: Nondelivery zones

Rural communities are the hardest hit as maternity wards become scarcer

Full access isn’t far.

537

25%

41%

3,596,017

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