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 100 of 136 hospitals on this page (page 2 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 51–100 of 136 hospitals

Hospital	City	Type	Rating	ER
Glacial Ridge Hospital Glenwood	Glenwood	Critical Access Hospitals	N/A	Yes
Glencoe Regional Health Glencoe	Glencoe	Critical Access Hospitals	N/A	Yes
Grand Itasca Clinic and Hospital Grand Rapids	Grand Rapids	Acute Care Hospitals	4	Yes
Hendricks Community Hospital Hendricks	Hendricks	Critical Access Hospitals	N/A	Yes
Hennepin County Medical Center Minneapolis	Minneapolis	Acute Care Hospitals	3	Yes
Hutchinson Health Hutchinson	Hutchinson	Acute Care Hospitals	N/A	Yes
Johnson Memorial Hospital Dawson	Dawson	Critical Access Hospitals	N/A	Yes
Kittson Healthcare Hallock	Hallock	Critical Access Hospitals	N/A	Yes
Lake Region Healthcare Corporation Fergus Falls	Fergus Falls	Acute Care Hospitals	5	Yes
Lake View Memorial Hospital Two Harbors	Two Harbors	Critical Access Hospitals	N/A	Yes
Lakeview Memorial Hospital Stillwater	Stillwater	Acute Care Hospitals	4	Yes
Lakewood Health Center Baudette	Baudette	Critical Access Hospitals	N/A	Yes
Lakewood Health System Staples	Staples	Critical Access Hospitals	N/A	Yes
Lifecare Medical Center Roseau	Roseau	Critical Access Hospitals	N/A	Yes
M Health Fairview Ridges Hospital Burnsville	Burnsville	Acute Care Hospitals	4	Yes
M Health Fairview Southdale Hospital Edina	Edina	Acute Care Hospitals	4	Yes
M Health Fairview St John's Hospital Maplewood	Maplewood	Acute Care Hospitals	4	Yes
M Health Fairview University of Mn Medical Center Minneapolis	Minneapolis	Acute Care Hospitals	3	Yes
M Health Fairview Woodwinds Hospital Woodbury	Woodbury	Acute Care Hospitals	5	Yes
Madelia Health Madelia	Madelia	Critical Access Hospitals	N/A	Yes
Madison Hospital Madison	Madison	Critical Access Hospitals	N/A	Yes
Mahnomen Health Center Mahnomen	Mahnomen	Rural Emergency Hospital	N/A	Yes
Maple Grove Hospital Maple Grove	Maple Grove	Acute Care Hospitals	4	Yes
Mayo Clinic Health System - Albert Lea and Austin Albert Lea	Albert Lea	Acute Care Hospitals	5	Yes
Mayo Clinic Health System - Cannon Falls Cannon Falls	Cannon Falls	Critical Access Hospitals	N/A	Yes
Mayo Clinic Health System - Fairmont Fairmont	Fairmont	Acute Care Hospitals	4	Yes
Mayo Clinic Health System - Lake City Lake City	Lake City	Critical Access Hospitals	N/A	Yes
Mayo Clinic Health System - Mankato Mankato	Mankato	Acute Care Hospitals	5	Yes
Mayo Clinic Health System - Waseca Waseca	Waseca	Critical Access Hospitals	N/A	Yes
Mayo Clinic Health System in Red Wing Red Wing	Red Wing	Acute Care Hospitals	4	Yes
Mayo Clinic Health System New Prague New Prague	New Prague	Critical Access Hospitals	N/A	Yes
Mayo Clinic Health System St. James St James	St James	Critical Access Hospitals	N/A	Yes
Mayo Clinic Hospital Rochester Rochester	Rochester	Acute Care Hospitals	5	Yes
Meeker Memorial Hospital Litchfield	Litchfield	Critical Access Hospitals	N/A	Yes
Mercy Hospital Coon Rapids	Coon Rapids	Acute Care Hospitals	3	Yes
Mille Lacs Health System Onamia	Onamia	Critical Access Hospitals	N/A	Yes
Minneapolis VA Medical Center Minneapolis	Minneapolis	Acute Care - Veterans Administration	5	Yes
Minnesota Valley Health Center Inc Le Sueur	Le Sueur	Critical Access Hospitals	N/A	Yes
Murray County Memorial Hospital Slayton	Slayton	Critical Access Hospitals	N/A	Yes
New Ulm Medical Center New Ulm	New Ulm	Critical Access Hospitals	N/A	Yes
North Memorial Health Hospital Robbinsdale	Robbinsdale	Acute Care Hospitals	2	Yes
North Shore Health Grand Marais	Grand Marais	Critical Access Hospitals	N/A	Yes
North Valley Health Center Warren	Warren	Critical Access Hospitals	N/A	Yes
Northfield Hospital Northfield	Northfield	Acute Care Hospitals	N/A	Yes
Olivia Hospital & Clinic Olivia	Olivia	Critical Access Hospitals	N/A	Yes
Olmsted Medical Center Rochester	Rochester	Acute Care Hospitals	4	Yes
Ortonville Area Health Services Ortonville	Ortonville	Critical Access Hospitals	N/A	Yes
Owatonna Hospital Owatonna	Owatonna	Acute Care Hospitals	3	Yes
Park Nicollet Methodist Hospital Saint Louis Park	Saint Louis Park	Acute Care Hospitals	3	Yes
Perham Health Perham	Perham	Critical Access Hospitals	N/A	Yes

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.