Healthcare Insights
Number of hospital operating rooms by U.S. region
Hospital operating rooms (ORs) are a core part of surgical infrastructure, supporting everything from routine appendectomies to complex transplants. ORs vary in type—hybrid, integrated, digital—and the number a hospital operates is more than an operational detail; it can provide insights on surgical volume, clinical sophistication, overall revenue potential, and competitive position in the market.
With data from the Definitive Healthcare HospitalView product, we’ve created a list of the number of hospital operating rooms across the U.S. Understanding OR distribution can inform decisions for medical device providers, hospital network expansion, and investment in surgical technologies, highlighting areas with a higher concentration of OR capacity and potential market opportunities. For example, a hospital running 10+ ORs with multiple hybrids typically drives higher procedural throughput and correspondingly higher demand for implants, imaging, robotics, and workflow tech, than a community hospital with four standard ORs.
| U.S. region | Number of hospital ORs | Average number of ORs per hospital | Explore dataset |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southeast | 11,798 | 9 | Explore |
| Midwest | 10,698 | 8 | Explore |
| Northeast | 7,973 | 12 | Explore |
| West | 6,572 | 8 | Explore |
| Southwest | 6,431 | 10 | Explore |
| U.S. territories | 422 | 7 | Explore |
Fig. 1. Data is from the Definitive Healthcare HospitalView product. Data accessed November 2025.
Which region has the most operating rooms?
Across U.S. regions, the total number of hospital operating rooms (ORs) and their distribution per hospital vary. The Southeast leads in total ORs with 11,798, though the average per hospital is 9. The Midwest follows with 10,698 ORs and an average of 8 per hospital.
In contrast, the Northeast has fewer total ORs (7,973) but the highest average per hospital at 12, suggesting larger, more centralized surgical facilities. The Southwest and West have similar total OR counts (6,431 and 6,572, respectively) with averages of 10 and 8, showing fewer but sometimes larger hospitals in the Southwest. The U.S. territories have the fewest ORs (422) and the smallest average per hospital (7).
Most patients tend to seek surgical care in the regions in which they reside. Since the Southeast, Midwest, and Northeast are among the most populous regions in the U.S., hospitals in these regions may have more ORs to accommodate the needs of their larger patient populations.
These differences highlight regional variation in hospital size and surgical infrastructure, which could inform planning and resource allocation strategies.
How many operating rooms are in a hospital?
There are more than 43,800 operating rooms across hospitals in the U.S., averaging 9 ORs per hospital. Large academic medical centers and tertiary care hospitals typically have a higher number of ORs to accommodate a diverse range of surgical specialties and complex procedures. In contrast, smaller community hospitals may have fewer ORs, focusing on routine surgeries. Find out which hospitals perform the most surgeries in this Healthcare Insight.
What is in an operating room?
An operating room is a specialized facility within a hospital where surgical procedures are performed. It's a controlled environment designed to minimize the risk of infection and maximize patient safety during surgery. Operating rooms are equipped with advanced medical technology, including surgical instruments, anesthesia delivery systems, and monitoring equipment, to support surgical teams in providing care to patients. The layout often includes the following key components:
- Operating table: The central fixture where the patient lies during surgery. Operating tables are designed to be adjustable to accommodate various surgical positions and procedures.
- Surgical lights: Bright, focused lighting fixtures positioned above the operating table to illuminate the surgical field.
- Medical equipment: ORs are equipped with a wide array of specialized surgical instruments, anesthesia delivery systems, and monitoring devices. This equipment may include surgical tools, anesthesia machines, ventilators, monitors for vital signs, and imaging devices.
- Sterile supplies: OR staff meticulously prepare sterile surgical instruments, drapes, and other supplies before each procedure to minimize the risk of infection.
Some hospitals have specialized ORs tailored to specific types of surgeries or advanced procedures. For example, hybrid ORs combine traditional surgical capabilities with advanced imaging technology, such as CT scans or fluoroscopy, allowing surgeons to perform minimally invasive procedures with real-time imaging guidance.
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