State hospital quality · CMS Hospital Compare

Hospitals in Minnesota

Minnesota has 136 Medicare-certified hospitals averaging 3.8 of 5 CMS stars - above the 3.1-star national average, with 9 earning the full five stars.

136
Hospitals: 3.8★
Avg rating: 9
Five-star: 117
With ER

The state picture

Across 136 Medicare-certified hospitals, Minnesota averages 3.8 of 5 CMS stars - above the 3.1-star national average, and 9 facilities earn the top five-star rating.

3.8 / 5
state average (above 3.1 national): 9
five-star hospitals: 117
with an emergency department: 136
Medicare-certified hospitals

CMS star ratings are composite quality scores; 41 of 136 Minnesota hospitals had enough reporting volume to receive one. Not medical advice.

5★

9
4★

18
3★

11
2★

3
1★

0

What this shows 9 Minnesota hospitals reach five stars; the state's 3.8-star average sits above the 3.1-star national mark.

What the Data Shows About Hospitals in Minnesota

Minnesota has 136 Medicare-certified hospitals tracked by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital Compare program. Of these, 117 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 3.8 out of 5, calculated across hospitals with enough reporting volume to generate a composite rating.

At the top of the quality distribution, 9 hospitals have earned the highest 5-star CMS overall rating in Minnesota. The single highest-rated facility in the state registry is Buffalo Hospital in Buffalo, 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 50 of 136 hospitals on this page (page 1 of 3). 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 2026-05-15, and nothing on this page is medical advice, consult a qualified clinician before making care decisions.

136

Hospitals

3.8

Avg Rating

Five-Star

117

With ER

Top-Rated in Minnesota

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

🥇1 Buffalo Hospital Buffalo, MN · Acute Care Hospitals ★★★★★
🥈2 Essentia Health St Joseph's Medical Center Brainerd, MN · Acute Care Hospitals ★★★★★
🥉3 Lake Region Healthcare Corporation Fergus Falls, MN · Acute Care Hospitals ★★★★★
4 M Health Fairview Woodwinds Hospital Woodbury, MN · Acute Care Hospitals ★★★★★
5 Mayo Clinic Health System - Albert Lea and Austin Albert Lea, MN · Acute Care Hospitals ★★★★★
6 Mayo Clinic Health System - Mankato Mankato, MN · Acute Care Hospitals ★★★★★

Compare Buffalo Hospital vs Essentia Health St Joseph's Medical Center →

All Hospitals

Showing 1–50 of 136 hospitals

Hospital	City	Type	Rating	ER
Abbott Northwestern Hospital Minneapolis	Minneapolis	Acute Care Hospitals	4	Yes
Allina Health Faribault Medical Center Faribault	Faribault	Acute Care Hospitals	N/A	Yes
Allina United Hospital Saint Paul	Saint Paul	Acute Care Hospitals	3	Yes
Alomere Health Alexandria	Alexandria	Acute Care Hospitals	4	Yes
Anoka Metro Regional Treatment Center Anoka	Anoka	Psychiatric	N/A	No
Appleton Area Health Appleton	Appleton	Critical Access Hospitals	N/A	Yes
Astera Health Wadena	Wadena	Critical Access Hospitals	N/A	Yes
Avera Granite Falls Granite Falls	Granite Falls	Critical Access Hospitals	N/A	Yes
Avera Marshall Regional Medical Ctr Marshall	Marshall	Critical Access Hospitals	N/A	Yes
Avera Tyler Hospital Tyler	Tyler	Critical Access Hospitals	N/A	Yes
Bigfork Valley Hospital Bigfork	Bigfork	Critical Access Hospitals	N/A	Yes
Buffalo Hospital Buffalo	Buffalo	Acute Care Hospitals	5	No
Cambridge Medical Center Cambridge	Cambridge	Acute Care Hospitals	3	Yes
Cass Lake Indian Health Services Hospital Cass Lake	Cass Lake	Critical Access Hospitals	N/A	Yes
Centracare - Benson Benson	Benson	Critical Access Hospitals	N/A	Yes
Centracare - Redwood Redwood Falls	Redwood Falls	Critical Access Hospitals	N/A	Yes
Centracare Health - Monticello Monticello	Monticello	Critical Access Hospitals	N/A	Yes
Centracare Health Paynesville LLC Paynesville	Paynesville	Critical Access Hospitals	N/A	Yes
Centracare Health System - Long Prairie Long Prairie	Long Prairie	Critical Access Hospitals	N/A	Yes
Centracare Health System - Melrose Hospital Melrose	Melrose	Critical Access Hospitals	N/A	No
Centracare Health System - Sauk Centre Sauk Centre	Sauk Centre	Critical Access Hospitals	N/A	Yes
Centracare- Rice Memorial Hospital Willmar	Willmar	Acute Care Hospitals	2	Yes
Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health Hospital Willmar	Willmar	Psychiatric	N/A	No
Children's Hospitals & Clinics of Mn Minneapolis	Minneapolis	Childrens	N/A	Yes
Chippewa County Hospital Montevideo	Montevideo	Critical Access Hospitals	N/A	Yes
Community Behavioral Health Hospital - Baxter Baxter	Baxter	Psychiatric	N/A	No
Community Behavioral Health Hospital - Bemidji Bemidji	Bemidji	Psychiatric	N/A	No
Community Behavioral Health Hospital Alexandria Alexandria	Alexandria	Psychiatric	N/A	No
Community Behavioral Health Hospital Annandale Annandale	Annandale	Psychiatric	N/A	No
Community Behavioral Health Hospital Fergus Falls Fergus Falls	Fergus Falls	Psychiatric	N/A	No
Community Behavioral Health Hospital Rochester Rochester	Rochester	Psychiatric	N/A	No
Community Memorial Hospital Cloquet	Cloquet	Critical Access Hospitals	N/A	Yes
Cook Hospital Cook	Cook	Critical Access Hospitals	N/A	Yes
Cuyuna Regional Medical Center Crosby	Crosby	Critical Access Hospitals	N/A	Yes
Ely - Bloomenson Community Hospital Ely	Ely	Critical Access Hospitals	N/A	Yes
Essentia Health Ada Ada	Ada	Critical Access Hospitals	N/A	Yes
Essentia Health Deer River Deer River	Deer River	Critical Access Hospitals	N/A	Yes
Essentia Health Duluth Duluth	Duluth	Acute Care Hospitals	4	No
Essentia Health Fosston Fosston	Fosston	Critical Access Hospitals	N/A	Yes
Essentia Health Holy Trinity Hospital Graceville	Graceville	Critical Access Hospitals	N/A	Yes
Essentia Health Moose Lake Moose Lake	Moose Lake	Critical Access Hospitals	N/A	Yes
Essentia Health Northern Pines Medical Center Aurora	Aurora	Critical Access Hospitals	N/A	Yes
Essentia Health Sandstone Sandstone	Sandstone	Critical Access Hospitals	N/A	Yes
Essentia Health St Joseph's Medical Center Brainerd	Brainerd	Acute Care Hospitals	5	Yes
Essentia Health St Mary's Medical Center Duluth	Duluth	Acute Care Hospitals	4	Yes
Essentia Health St Marys - Detroit Lakes Detroit Lakes	Detroit Lakes	Acute Care Hospitals	4	No
Essentia Health Virginia Virginia	Virginia	Acute Care Hospitals	3	No
Fairview Lakes Health Services Wyoming	Wyoming	Acute Care Hospitals	3	Yes
Fairview Northland Regional Hospital Princeton	Princeton	Acute Care Hospitals	N/A	Yes
Gillette Childrens Specialty Hospital Saint Paul	Saint Paul	Childrens	N/A	No

Hospital Quality in Minnesota

Minnesota has 136 Medicare-certified hospitals tracked by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Of these, 9 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 Minnesota hospitals is 3.8. 117 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 Minnesota? ▼

The highest-rated hospital in Minnesota is Buffalo Hospital in Buffalo with a CMS star rating of 5/5. There are 9 five-star hospitals in the state out of 136 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 Minnesota, the average star rating is 3.8 across rated hospitals.

How many hospitals are in Minnesota? ▼

Minnesota has 136 Medicare-certified hospitals, of which 117 have emergency departments. 9 hospitals have earned the highest 5-star CMS rating.

Data from CMS Hospital Compare; patient-experience scores from the HCAHPS survey. Last refreshed: 2026-05-15. About PlainHospital and our data sources

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

Compiled byPlainHospital Editorial, Hospital Quality Editorial Team

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.