Emergency room wait times
ER wait times by hospital
Across 4,077 US hospitals with reported data, the median emergency room wait is about 2 hr 28 min — the typical time a patient spends in the ER before leaving. Waits vary widely by hospital and time of day. Compare a specific hospital or browse your state or province below.
Comparing quality too? Browse best hospitals by CMS rating.
Live ER waits near you
Some hospitals publish fresh ER wait estimates. Use your location to sort nearby live waits by distance.
Find live ER wait times near meBrowse ER wait times by city
- New YorkNY
- TorontoON
- VancouverBC
- OttawaON
- HamiltonON
- LondonON
- Los AngelesCA
- San FranciscoCA
- BostonMA
- AtlantaGA
- ChicagoIL
- HoustonTX
- DallasTX
- AustinTX
- PhoenixAZ
- PhiladelphiaPA
- WashingtonDC
- MiamiFL
- DenverCO
- NashvilleTN
- Las VegasNV
- San DiegoCA
- San JoseCA
- SeattleWA
- OrlandoFL
- OdessaTX
- PensacolaFL
- JacksonvilleFL
- ChattanoogaTN
- Rock HillSC
- ModestoCA
- KnoxvilleTN
- RichmondVA
- New OrleansLA
- Oakland CountyMI
- LongmontCO
- PlacentiaCA
- NacogdochesTX
- TavernierFL
- JasperAL
- KetchikanAK
Browse ER wait times by hospital system
Shortest ER waits
Hospitals with the lowest reported median ER wait. Click through for prices and quality detail.
| Hospital | Median ER wait | CMS rating |
|---|---|---|
| Mille Lacs Health System ER wait timeOnamia, MN | 42 min | — |
| Rio Grande Hospital ER wait timeDel Norte, CO | 42 min | 4/5 |
| Mitchell County Hospital District ER wait timeColorado City, TX | 47 min | — |
| Coteau Des Prairies Health Care System ER wait timeSisseton, SD | 48 min | 4/5 |
| Cuba Memorial Hospital ER wait timeCuba, NY | 48 min | — |
| Pinckneyville Community Hospital ER wait timePinckneyville, IL | 50 min | — |
| Richardson Medical Center ER wait timeRayville, LA | 57 min | — |
| Compass Memorial Healthcare ER wait timeMarengo, IA | 58 min | 4/5 |
| Kula Hospital ER wait timeKula, HI | 59 min | — |
| Myrtue Medical Center ER wait timeHarlan, IA | 59 min | 3/5 |
| Samuel Mahelona Memorial Hospital ER wait timeKapaa, HI | 59 min | — |
| Wiregrass Medical Center ER wait timeGeneva, AL | 59 min | — |
| Lady of the Sea General Hospital ER wait timeCut Off, LA | 1 hr 1 min | — |
| Sheridan Community Hospital ER wait timeSheridan, MI | 1 hr 1 min | — |
| Integris Community Hospital - Council Crossing ER wait timeOklahoma City, OK | 1 hr 2 min | — |
Longest ER waits
Hospitals reporting the longest median ER waits. A long median often reflects a busy, high-acuity ER, not necessarily worse care.
Browse ER wait times by state or province
- Alaska2 hr 9 min · 17
- Alabama2 hr 26 min · 81
- Arkansas2 hr 8 min · 67
- Arizona2 hr 59 min · 61
- British Columbia2 hr 49 min · 12
- California2 hr 56 min · 266
- Colorado2 hr 13 min · 76
- Connecticut3 hr 21 min · 25
- District of Columbia5 hr 46 min · 6
- Delaware3 hr 43 min · 6
- Florida2 hr 28 min · 176
- Georgia2 hr 44 min · 123
- Hawaii2 hr 6 min · 20
- Iowa1 hr 58 min · 111
- Idaho2 hr 9 min · 38
- Illinois2 hr 54 min · 154
- Indiana2 hr 20 min · 106
- Kansas1 hr 59 min · 116
- Kentucky2 hr 23 min · 82
- Louisiana2 hr 8 min · 89
- Massachusetts3 hr 38 min · 54
- Maryland4 hr 3 min · 40
- Maine2 hr 44 min · 30
- Michigan2 hr 35 min · 118
- Minnesota2 hr 9 min · 121
- Missouri2 hr 32 min · 98
- Mississippi2 hr 6 min · 69
- Montana1 hr 54 min · 56
- North Carolina3 hr 6 min · 94
- North Dakota1 hr 45 min · 43
- Nebraska1 hr 51 min · 83
- New Hampshire2 hr 18 min · 26
- New Jersey3 hr 2 min · 60
- New Mexico2 hr 47 min · 32
- Nevada2 hr 38 min · 35
- New York3 hr 26 min · 140
- Ohio2 hr 33 min · 139
- Oklahoma2 hr 1 min · 99
- Ontario2 hr 45 min · 39
- Oregon2 hr 34 min · 54
- Pennsylvania3 hr 8 min · 138
- Rhode Island3 hr 42 min · 10
- South Carolina2 hr 40 min · 52
- South Dakota1 hr 55 min · 50
- Tennessee2 hr 38 min · 90
- Texas2 hr 17 min · 328
- Utah2 hr 6 min · 44
- Virginia2 hr 43 min · 79
- Vermont2 hr 52 min · 9
- Washington2 hr 47 min · 74
- Wisconsin2 hr 13 min · 118
- West Virginia2 hr 21 min · 44
- Wyoming1 hr 58 min · 22
About this data
Wait times come from the CMS Timely and Effective Care dataset (measure OP_18b), the median time patients spent in the emergency department before being sent home, and from hospital-published live feeds where available. CMS medians are from a federal reporting period, not live current waits. If you are having a medical emergency, call 911 and do not choose an ER on wait time alone. Headed to the ER and worried about the bill? See our ER visit cost guide.