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 350 of 378 hospitals on this page (page 7 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 301–350 of 378 hospitals

Hospital	City	Type	Rating	ER
Seneca District Hospital Chester	Chester	Critical Access Hospitals	N/A	Yes
Sequoia Hospital Redwood City	Redwood City	Acute Care Hospitals	5	Yes
Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center Chula Vista	Chula Vista	Acute Care Hospitals	4	Yes
Sharp Coronado Hospital and Hlthcr Ctr Coronado	Coronado	Acute Care Hospitals	4	Yes
Sharp Memorial Hospital San Diego	San Diego	Acute Care Hospitals	4	Yes
Sharp Mesa Vista Hospital San Diego	San Diego	Psychiatric	N/A	No
Shasta Regional Medical Center Redding	Redding	Acute Care Hospitals	2	Yes
Sherman Oaks Hospital Sherman Oaks	Sherman Oaks	Acute Care Hospitals	2	Yes
Shriners Hospitals for Children Northern Calif Sacramento	Sacramento	Childrens	N/A	No
Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital Grass Valley	Grass Valley	Acute Care Hospitals	3	Yes
Sierra View Medical Center Porterville	Porterville	Acute Care Hospitals	3	Yes
Sonoma Valley Hospital Sonoma	Sonoma	Acute Care Hospitals	2	Yes
Southern California Hospital at Hollywood Hollywood	Hollywood	Acute Care Hospitals	3	Yes
Southern Inyo Hospital Lone Pine	Lone Pine	Critical Access Hospitals	N/A	Yes
Southern Monterey County Memorial Hospital King City	King City	Critical Access Hospitals	N/A	Yes
Southwest Healthcare Rancho Springs Hospital Murrieta	Murrieta	Acute Care Hospitals	3	Yes
St Bernardine Medical Center San Bernardino	San Bernardino	Acute Care Hospitals	2	Yes
St Elizabeth Community Hospital Red Bluff	Red Bluff	Acute Care Hospitals	4	No
St Johns Regional Medical Center Oxnard	Oxnard	Acute Care Hospitals	4	Yes
St Joseph's Behavioral Health Center Stockton	Stockton	Psychiatric	N/A	No
St Joseph's Medical Center of Stockton Stockton	Stockton	Acute Care Hospitals	3	Yes
St Mary Medical Center Long Beach	Long Beach	Acute Care Hospitals	5	Yes
St Rose Hospital Hayward	Hayward	Acute Care Hospitals	1	No
Stanford Health Care Stanford	Stanford	Acute Care Hospitals	5	Yes
Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley Pleasanton	Pleasanton	Acute Care Hospitals	5	Yes
Stanislaus Surgical Hospital Modesto	Modesto	Acute Care Hospitals	N/A	No
Surprise Valley Community Hospital Cedarville	Cedarville	Critical Access Hospitals	N/A	Yes
Sutter Amador Hospital Jackson	Jackson	Acute Care Hospitals	4	Yes
Sutter Auburn Faith Hospital Auburn	Auburn	Acute Care Hospitals	5	Yes
Sutter Center for Psychiatry Sacramento	Sacramento	Psychiatric	N/A	No
Sutter Coast Hospital Crescent City	Crescent City	Acute Care Hospitals	2	No
Sutter Davis Hospital Davis	Davis	Acute Care Hospitals	4	Yes
Sutter Delta Medical Center Antioch	Antioch	Acute Care Hospitals	3	Yes
Sutter Lakeside Hospital Lakeport	Lakeport	Critical Access Hospitals	4	Yes
Sutter Maternity & Surgery Center of Santa Cruz Santa Cruz	Santa Cruz	Acute Care Hospitals	N/A	No
Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento Sacramento	Sacramento	Acute Care Hospitals	4	Yes
Sutter Roseville Medical Center Roseville	Roseville	Acute Care Hospitals	5	Yes
Sutter Santa Rosa Regional Hospital Santa Rosa	Santa Rosa	Acute Care Hospitals	5	Yes
Sutter Solano Medical Center Vallejo	Vallejo	Acute Care Hospitals	3	Yes
Sutter Surgical Hospital - North Valley Yuba City	Yuba City	Acute Care Hospitals	N/A	No
Sutter Tracy Community Hospital Tracy	Tracy	Acute Care Hospitals	4	Yes
Tahoe Forest Hospital Truckee	Truckee	Critical Access Hospitals	3	Yes
Tarzana Treatment Center Tarzana	Tarzana	Psychiatric	N/A	No
Telecare Heritage Psychiatric Health Facility Oakland	Oakland	Psychiatric	N/A	No
Temecula Valley Hospital Temecula	Temecula	Acute Care Hospitals	4	Yes
Torrance Memorial Medical Center Torrance	Torrance	Acute Care Hospitals	5	Yes
Tri-City Medical Center Oceanside	Oceanside	Acute Care Hospitals	1	Yes
Trinity Hospital Weaverville	Weaverville	Critical Access Hospitals	N/A	Yes
Uc San Diego Health Hillcrest - Hillcrest Med Ctr San Diego	San Diego	Acute Care Hospitals	5	Yes
UCI Health - Fountain Valley Fountain Valley	Fountain Valley	Acute Care Hospitals	2	No

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.