Longest Emergency Room Wait Times by State (2024)
The longest emergency room wait times by state are in Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Rhode Island, with local patients waiting over three hours. National ER wait times average 2.5 hours, but D.C. is more than double with a 5.5-hour average ER waiting time. Compare that to the fastest ER in North Dakota at 108 minutes.
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Chris Abrams
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Chris is the founder of Abrams Insurance Solutions and Marcan Insurance, which provide personal financial analysis and planning services for families and small businesses across the U.S. His companies represent nearly 100 of the top-rated insurance companies. Chris has been a licensed insurance agent since 2009 and has active insurance licenses in all 50 U.S. states and D.C. Chris works tireles...
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UPDATED: Jul 30, 2024
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Editorial Guidelines: We are a free online resource for anyone interested in learning more about auto insurance. Our goal is to be an objective, third-party resource for everything auto insurance related. We update our site regularly, and all content is reviewed by auto insurance experts.
UPDATED: Jul 30, 2024
It’s all about you. We want to help you make the right coverage choices.
Advertiser Disclosure: We strive to help you make confident auto insurance decisions. Comparison shopping should be easy. We are not affiliated with any one auto insurance provider and cannot guarantee quotes from any single provider. Our partnerships don’t influence our content. Our opinions are our own. To compare quotes from many different companies please enter your ZIP code on this page to use the free quote tool. The more quotes you compare, the more chances to save.
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Comparing ER wait times by country? America has notoriously long waits. The average ER wait time in the U.S. is 2.5 hours. Washington, D.C. and Maryland have the longest emergency room wait times by state at over four hours. ER wait times in Delaware and Rhode Island are 3.5 hours.
The COVID-19 pandemic increased the average wait time in emergency rooms across the country. However, COVID-19 isn’t the only thing sending people to the ER — traffic fatalities are also on the rise. Find out if you need medical payments coverage on your auto insurance.
Read on to get emergency room wait time statistics by state, then enter your ZIP code above to start comparing rates now.
- The national average ER wait time is 2.5 hours
- Washington, D.C. has the longest average hospital wait time at 5.5 hours
- The ER with the shortest wait time is 108 minutes in North Dakota
Longest Emergency Room Wait Times by State
Visiting an ER is never a pleasant experience, whether you’re experiencing a medical emergency or you’re there as support.
How long does the ER take? According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the average ER wait time in America is a little over 2.5 hours, but you’ll have to wait much longer in some states.
Here are the top 15 longest ER wait times by state. These times include the average length of an ER visit, from arrival to treatment:
- Washington, D.C.: 5.5 hours
- Maryland: 4 hours
- Rhode Island: 3.5 hours
- Delaware: 3.5 hours
- New York: 3.25 hours
- Arizona: 3.25 hours
- New Jersey: 3 hours
- Connecticut: 3 hours
- Pennsylvania: 3 hours
- California: 3 hours
- Vermont: 3 hours
- North Carolina: 3 hours
- Illinois: 3 hours
- Virginia: 3 hours
- Michigan: 3 hours
The reason behind wait times varies by state. For example, Maryland lacks other types of healthcare. Maryland experts report that the state lacks primary and behavioral healthcare options that would keep people out of the ER.
Other states, like New York and New Jersey, have dense populations that increase wait times. On average, ER wait times in NYC and other NY cities are three hours or longer. The average ER wait time in California is also three hours or more due to population size.
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Shortest Emergency Room Wait Times by State
While some states have abnormally long ER wait times, others stay well below the national average.
Here are the top 10 shortest ER times by state:
- North Dakota: 108 minutes
- Nebraska: 115 minutes
- South Dakota: 115 minutes
- Hawaii: 116 minutes
- Iowa: 119 minutes
- Oklahoma: 119 minutes
- Kansas: 124 minutes
- Montana: 127 minutes
- Mississippi: 129 minutes
- Idaho: 132 minutes
Like states with long wait times, there are many reasons for faster ER lines. The population density in many of these states is lower, meaning fewer people visit the ER. Others have invested in alternative healthcare methods, such as urgent care facilities and primary care doctors.
An unfortunate reason some states have shorter ER wait times is higher rates of uninsured residents. For example, more than 10% of people in South Dakota do not have health insurance, and 13% of Mississippi residents are uninsured.
While a hospital can’t deny you life-saving treatment if you don’t have health insurance, many Americans avoid going to the hospital until it’s absolutely necessary to avoid costly bills.
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Why Emergency Rooms Are So Slow
Why do ERs take so long? A variety of reasons cause long wait times in American ERs. To understand why wait times seem to stretch forever, you need to know how the ER prioritizes patients.
When you arrive at the ER, you receive a priority rating based on your health situation. There are five priority levels in the ER:
- Resuscitation. This level is the highest priority and means the patient will die if they don’t get immediate help. ERs aim to respond to this level within five minutes of arrival.
- Emergent. While not quite as urgent as the first level, emergent patients still need immediate help. The ER staff tries to help these patients within 15 minutes.
- Urgent. This level is not immediately life-threatening but could quickly become so. Urgent patients should be seen within 30 minutes.
- Less urgent. For non-life-threatening conditions, the ER staff will try to see you within 60 minutes.
- Nonurgent. Many people go to the ER because they have nowhere else to get treatment. If you need non-emergency care, the hospital will try to see you within 120 minutes.
Why do hospitals take so long? Well, this system of prioritization explains why you might see that people who arrive after you are taken to a room before you.
Of course, the most significant impact on recent ER wait times has been COVID-19. Although fewer people are winding up in the hospital today, hospitals struggled for two years to keep up. Before the pandemic, the average wait time in an emergency room was a short 40 minutes.
Increased patient numbers weren’t the only way COVID-19 affected ER wait times. Hospitals around the country are experiencing staff shortages that make it difficult to keep up with healthcare demands.
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How Long to Wait in the ER Before Leaving
How long is the wait in the emergency room? While the average ER wait time in the U.S. is slightly longer than 2.5 hours, studies show that many patients are willing to wait as long as it takes to receive care. In an emergency room near you, patients can wait between two and six hours before they see a doctor.
Exactly how long can an ER make you wait? By law, you cannot wait longer than six hours, but many emergency departments try to keep their wait times to four hours. Only Maryland and The District of Columbia have longer ER wait times over four hours.Justin Wright Licensed Insurance Agent
How long is too long to wait in the ER? You should wait between four and six hours to receive care. Leaving the ER early is not recommended. You will miss out on receiving the proper care you need to heal and this could increase medical costs later as symptoms worsen.
How to Reduce Average ER Wait Times by State
Unfortunately, there’s not a lot that you can do to reduce the average time spent in the ER. However, you can do the following to try and spend the least amount of time waiting as possible:
- Bring someone with you. Having someone who can communicate clearly while you deal with your injury or illness can make the check-in process much quicker.
- Bring your ID with you. Most hospitals require your information before you can see a doctor. Having your ID and insurance card with you can save you time.
- Check if you can book online. Hospitals are increasingly offering the option to virtually check in to the ER room so you can come when your room is ready. Check the hospital website to see if this option is available.
You can also avoid long wait times by making sure you visit the ER for the right reason. If you have symptoms like a sore throat, coughing, earaches, mild injuries, or rashes, you can skip the ER and visit urgent care instead.
When to Go to the Emergency Room
No matter how long the real-time ER wait times are near you, you should never hesitate to go to the hospital if you’re experiencing the following symptoms:
- Chest pain
- Fainting or dizziness
- Wheezing, difficulty breathing, or shortness of breath
- Unstoppable bleeding
- Coughing or vomiting blood
- Blood in your urine or diarrhea
- Abdominal pain, especially in a localized spot
- Displaced or open wound fractures
- Sudden numbness or weakness
- Confusion or other sudden changes in your mental status
- Severe headache or head injury
- Sudden loss of your ability to see, hear, walk, or move
- Fever with convulsions
- Fever in an infant under three months old
Of course, you should never downplay your symptoms. If you think you need to go to the ER, you should go. Check current ER wait times near you online if possible to see how long other patients have been waiting and prepare accordingly.
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Get the Right Auto Insurance to Cover Emergency Room Visits
What is the average ER wait time? The typical ER wait time is between two and three hours, but the longest emergency room wait times by state are in Washington, D.C. and Maryland. The average wait time in emergency rooms across D.C. is 5.5 hours and 4.5 hours in Maryland.
Why does the ER take so long? Many variables impact emergency room waiting times, including population density and the number of uninsured persons in your city. Having health insurance before you need to visit the ER won't reduce your wait time but can save you thousands of dollars.Travis Thompson Licensed Insurance Agent
Like car insurance, health coverage offers invaluable protection in case of an emergency. Having the right insurance will make a difference between staying in the hospital as long as you need to and leaving early.
Health insurance is much more expensive than the coverage for your vehicle, especially if you don’t get it through your employer. You can find the best price possible by reading company reviews, like this Blue Cross Blue Shield Insurance Review, and comparing rates with as many companies as possible.
Fortunately, if you are in a car accident, medical payments coverage (MedPay) or personal injury protection (PIP) insurance will pay for ER visits and other medical costs up to the limits of your policy. Not all states require this kind of coverage, so check your policy to confirm you have it. If not, enter your ZIP code below to start comparing auto insurance rates from companies near you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which states have the longest hospital wait time?
Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Washington, D.C. have the longest U.S. hospital wait times.
Which states have the fastest emergency room wait times?
Hawaii, Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota have the shortest U.S. ER wait times, each under two hours.
Why am I waiting so long in the ER?
There are several factors that contribute to long wait times in ERs. Some of the reasons include a high volume of patients, lack of alternative healthcare options, regional drug problems, and staff shortages. The COVID-19 pandemic has also significantly impacted ER wait times.
What is the average wait time in an emergency room?
The average emergency room wait time is 2.5 hours in most states.
What is the average ER wait time by state?
The average wait time in emergency rooms in the United States is two hours and 44 minutes. In most states, 2.5 hours is a normal ER wait time. For instance, Florida hospital ER wait times average at two hours and 44 minutes. New Hampshire emergency room times are also about the same.
Is it better to go to the ER at night or morning?
The best time to go to the ER is in the morning. Getting to the emergency room before noon is an easy way to get the shortest ER wait times near you.
How long does an ER visit take from start to finish?
While the average ER visit time is 2.5 hours, real-time emergency room wait times vary widely based on the state you live in and the severity of your injury or condition. Expect to wait a few hours in an ER unless you have a serious injury.
How long is the average stay in the hospital?
You can expect to stay between 4-5 days in the hospital when admitted after an ER visit.
What is the longest wait in the ER?
Washington, D.C. has the longest average emergency room wait time of 5.5 hours.
How can you reduce your wait time in the emergency room?
While there is no guaranteed way to reduce your wait time in the ER, there are a few things you can do to potentially minimize the wait. These include visiting urgent care for non-life-threatening conditions, making sure to provide accurate and detailed information about your symptoms and medical history, and being proactive in communicating with the medical staff.
How long can a hospital keep you waiting?
By law, an ER cannot make a patient wait longer than six hours.
Does not having insurance make hospital wait times longer?
No, hospitals are required to accept all patients in the ER regardless of their insurance status. However, uninsured patients may face pressure to leave earlier or may be transferred to another hospital for further treatment. It’s important to note that having health insurance can help save processing time and reduce the financial burden of emergency medical services.
Can I walk out of the ER?
Yes, but it’s not recommended that you leave before seeing ER staff due to increased health risks to yourself and others.
What is a valid reason to go to the ER?
A trip to the ER is suggested if you’re experiencing the following symptoms:
- Chest pain
- Unstoppable bleeding
- Coughing or vomiting blood
- Blood in your urine or diarrhea
- Displaced or open wound fractures
- Sudden numbness or weakness or loss of your ability to see, hear, walk, or move
- Severe headache or head injury
- Fever with convulsions or in an infant under three months old
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Enter your ZIP code below to view companies that have cheap auto insurance rates.
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Chris Abrams
Licensed Insurance Agent
Chris is the founder of Abrams Insurance Solutions and Marcan Insurance, which provide personal financial analysis and planning services for families and small businesses across the U.S. His companies represent nearly 100 of the top-rated insurance companies. Chris has been a licensed insurance agent since 2009 and has active insurance licenses in all 50 U.S. states and D.C. Chris works tireles...
Licensed Insurance Agent
Editorial Guidelines: We are a free online resource for anyone interested in learning more about auto insurance. Our goal is to be an objective, third-party resource for everything auto insurance related. We update our site regularly, and all content is reviewed by auto insurance experts.