State hospital quality · CMS Hospital Compare

Best CMS-rated hospitals in California

According to PlainHospital's state average CMS-star ranking, California ranks #32 of 54 states and territories by average overall star rating among rated hospitals (highest = #1).

378
Hospitals: #32 of 54
Corpus placement: 3.1★
Avg (280 rated): 29
Five-star: 285
With ER

California vs all states by Medicare hospital count

Where this state's Medicare-certified hospital inventory sits among every tracked state and territory (inventory signal, not a quality ranking)

378 2nd of 56 higher than 54 of 56 states

States and territories, banded by Medicare-certified hospital count

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more states. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source CMS Hospital Compare · 2026-08-14

The state picture

According to PlainHospital's state average CMS-star ranking, California ranks #32 of 54 states and territories by average overall star rating among rated hospitals (highest = #1). Among 280 rated hospitals, the state averages 3.1 of 5 stars.

3.1 / 5
state average among rated (below 3.2 national): #32 of 54
state corpus placement by avg star: 29
five-star hospitals: 280 of 378 rated
hospitals with a CMS overall rating

CMS star ratings are composite quality scores; 280 of 378 California hospitals had enough reporting volume to receive one. Not medical advice.

California hospital quality

California averages 3.1/5 CMS stars across 280 rated hospitals (below the 3.2 national average), with 29 five-star facilities of 378 Medicare-certified hospitals.

PlainHospital ranks California hospitals from CMS Hospital Compare overall star ratings (mortality, safety, readmission, patient experience, timely care). Corpus placement: #32 of 54 states and territories by average overall star among rated hospitals. 280 of 378 facilities had enough volume to receive a star; the rest stay unrated. Not medical advice - open a hospital page for the measure-level detail.

5★

29
4★

87
3★

76
2★

59
1★

29

What this shows 29 California hospitals reach five stars; the state's 3.1-star average sits below the 3.2-star national mark.

What the Data Shows About Hospitals in California

California has 378 Medicare-certified hospitals tracked by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital Compare program. Of these, 285 facilities operate an emergency department, an important signal for communities that rely on nearby acute-care access. The statewide average CMS overall star rating is 3.1 out of 5 , calculated across the 280 of 378 hospitals with enough reporting volume to generate a composite rating.

At the top of the quality distribution, 29 hospitals have earned the highest 5-star CMS overall rating in California. The single highest-rated facility in the state registry is Adventist Health Howard Memorial in Willits, currently listed at 5/5 stars. Star ratings are composite scores built from mortality, safety of care, readmission, patient experience (HCAHPS), and timely & effective care domains, so a single number conceals meaningful per-domain variation that matters for specific procedures.

Showing 250 of 378 hospitals on this page (page 5 of 8). Hospital quality varies materially within a state, urban academic centers, rural critical-access hospitals, and specialty facilities report against different baselines, so comparing individual facility profiles before choosing planned care is more useful than relying on the statewide average alone. All figures reflect the CMS Hospital Compare release from 2026-08-14, and nothing on this page is medical advice, consult a qualified clinician before making care decisions.

378

Hospitals

3.1

Avg (280 rated)

Five-Star

285

With ER

Top-Rated in California

Highest CMS star ratings among Medicare-certified hospitals in California.

🥇1 Adventist Health Howard Memorial Willits, CA · Critical Access Hospitals ★★★★★
🥈2 Alta Bates Summit Medical Center Oakland, CA · Acute Care Hospitals ★★★★★
🥉3 Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Los Angeles, CA · Acute Care Hospitals ★★★★★
4 French Hospital Medical Center San Luis Obispo, CA · Acute Care Hospitals ★★★★★
5 Fresno VA Medical Center (VA Central California Healthcare System) Fresno, CA · Acute Care - Veterans Administration ★★★★★
6 Goleta Valley Cottage Hospital Santa Barbara, CA · Acute Care Hospitals ★★★★★

Compare Adventist Health Howard Memorial vs Alta Bates Summit Medical Center →

All Hospitals

Showing 201–250 of 378 hospitals

Hospital	City	Type	Rating	ER
Memorial Care Miller Children's & Women's Hosp Lb Long Beach	Long Beach	Childrens	N/A	No
Memorial Hospital los Banos Los Banos	Los Banos	Acute Care Hospitals	3	Yes
Memorial Hospital of Gardena Gardena	Gardena	Acute Care Hospitals	1	Yes
Memorial Medical Center Modesto	Modesto	Acute Care Hospitals	3	Yes
Memorialcare Long Beach Medical Center Long Beach	Long Beach	Acute Care Hospitals	2	No
Memorialcare Orange Coast Medical Center Fountain Valley	Fountain Valley	Acute Care Hospitals	4	Yes
Memorialcare Saddleback Medical Center Laguna Hills	Laguna Hills	Acute Care Hospitals	4	Yes
Menifee Global Medical Center Sun City	Sun City	Acute Care Hospitals	N/A	Yes
Mercy General Hospital Sacramento	Sacramento	Acute Care Hospitals	3	Yes
Mercy Hospital Bakersfield	Bakersfield	Acute Care Hospitals	3	Yes
Mercy Hospital of Folsom Folsom	Folsom	Acute Care Hospitals	4	Yes
Mercy Medical Center Merced	Merced	Acute Care Hospitals	3	Yes
Mercy Medical Center of Mt Shasta Mount Shasta	Mount Shasta	Critical Access Hospitals	4	Yes
Mercy Medical Center Redding Redding	Redding	Acute Care Hospitals	2	Yes
Mercy San Juan Medical Center Carmichael	Carmichael	Acute Care Hospitals	3	Yes
Methodist Hospital of Sacramento Sacramento	Sacramento	Acute Care Hospitals	3	Yes
Mission Community Hospital Panorama City	Panorama City	Acute Care Hospitals	3	No
Modoc Medical Center Alturas	Alturas	Critical Access Hospitals	4	Yes
Montclair Hospital Medical Center Montclair	Montclair	Acute Care Hospitals	3	Yes
Monterey Park Hospital Monterey Park	Monterey Park	Acute Care Hospitals	2	No
Mountains Community Hospital Lake Arrowhead	Lake Arrowhead	Critical Access Hospitals	N/A	Yes
Natividad Medical Center Salinas	Salinas	Acute Care Hospitals	3	Yes
Nh Camp Pendleton Camp Pendleton	Camp Pendleton	Acute Care - Department of Defense	N/A	Yes
Nh Twentynine Palms Twentynine Palms	Twentynine Palms	Acute Care - Department of Defense	N/A	Yes
Nmc San Diego San Diego	San Diego	Acute Care - Department of Defense	N/A	Yes
Northbay Medical Center Fairfield	Fairfield	Acute Care Hospitals	2	Yes
Northern Inyo Hospital Bishop	Bishop	Critical Access Hospitals	3	Yes
Northridge Hospital Medical Center Northridge	Northridge	Acute Care Hospitals	4	Yes
Novato Community Hospital Novato	Novato	Acute Care Hospitals	5	Yes
Oak Valley Hospital District Oakdale	Oakdale	Acute Care Hospitals	1	Yes
Ocean View Psychiatric Health Facility Long Beach	Long Beach	Psychiatric	N/A	No
Orange County Global Medical Center Santa Ana	Santa Ana	Acute Care Hospitals	2	Yes
Orchard Hospital Gridley	Gridley	Critical Access Hospitals	N/A	Yes
Oroville Hospital Oroville	Oroville	Acute Care Hospitals	1	Yes
Pacific Grove Hospital Riverside	Riverside	Psychiatric	N/A	No
Pacifica Hospital of the Valley Sun Valley	Sun Valley	Acute Care Hospitals	N/A	Yes
Palmdale Regional Medical Center Palmdale	Palmdale	Acute Care Hospitals	3	Yes
Palo Alto VA Medical Center Palo Alto	Palo Alto	Acute Care - Veterans Administration	5	Yes
Palo Verde Hospital Blythe	Blythe	Critical Access Hospitals	N/A	No
Palomar Health Downtown Campus Escondido	Escondido	Acute Care Hospitals	3	Yes
Palomar Medical Center Poway Poway	Poway	Acute Care Hospitals	4	Yes
Paradise Valley Hospital National City	National City	Acute Care Hospitals	3	Yes
Parkview Community Hospital Medical Center Riverside	Riverside	Acute Care Hospitals	3	Yes
Patients' Hospital of Redding Redding	Redding	Acute Care Hospitals	N/A	No
Peninsula Medical Center Burlingame	Burlingame	Acute Care Hospitals	5	Yes
Petaluma Valley Hospital Petaluma	Petaluma	Acute Care Hospitals	4	No
Pih Health Downey Hospital Downey	Downey	Acute Care Hospitals	4	Yes
Pih Health Good Samaritan Hospital Los Angeles	Los Angeles	Acute Care Hospitals	2	No
Pih Health Hospital-Whittier Whittier	Whittier	Acute Care Hospitals	4	Yes
Pioneers Memorial Healthcare District Brawley	Brawley	Acute Care Hospitals	3	Yes

Hospital Quality in California

California has 378 Medicare-certified hospitals tracked by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Of these, 29 have earned the highest 5-star overall quality rating, reflecting strong performance across mortality, safety of care, readmission rates, patient experience, and timely and effective care measures.

The average CMS star rating across the 280 rated of 378 California hospitals is 3.1. 285 facilities have emergency departments, an important factor for communities that depend on nearby acute care. Hospital quality can vary significantly within a state, so comparing individual facility ratings before choosing care is recommended.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best hospital in California? ▼

The highest-rated hospital in California is Adventist Health Howard Memorial in Willits with a CMS star rating of 5/5. There are 29 five-star hospitals in the state out of 378 Medicare-certified facilities.

How are hospitals rated? ▼

CMS rates hospitals on a 1-to-5 star scale based on quality measures including mortality, safety, patient experience, readmission rates, and timely care. In California, the average star rating is 3.1 across rated hospitals.

How many hospitals are in California? ▼

California has 378 Medicare-certified hospitals, of which 285 have emergency departments. 29 hospitals have earned the highest 5-star CMS rating.

Data from CMS Hospital Compare; patient-experience scores from the HCAHPS survey. Last refreshed: 2026-08-14. About PlainHospital and our data sources

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Compiled by PlainHospital, Hospital Quality Editorial Process · August 14, 2026

Every figure on PlainHospital is rendered directly from federal source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on federal source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.