When you need urgent care, your local emergency department may be your first destination. But how accessible is emergency care, and how long could you be waiting for treatment?
The following emergency care statistics break down how often Americans visit the ER, how long patients wait for treatment, and what happens after emergency admission.
At REVA, we help patients like you reach the care they need when local treatment isn’t enough, providing life-saving emergency air ambulance flights with attentive care at every mile.
When an emergency strikes, call REVA anytime. We’re here to make your most stressful moments seamless.
Emergency Department Visit Statistics
How many emergency department visits are there each year in the U.S.?
There are about 155.4 million emergency department visits in the United States each year.
How many people go to the emergency room each year?
Nearly 130 million people go to the emergency room each year in the United States.
How many ER visits are there per 100 people in the U.S.?
In 2021, there were 43 emergency room visits per 100 people in the United States.
What percentage of adults visit the emergency department each year?
In 2022, about 20% of adults had visited the emergency department at least once in the past 12 months.
Emergency Room Visits by Age, Gender, and Demographics
What age group visits the ER the most?
Adults ages 18 to 65 make up about 63% of emergency room patients.
Which age groups have the highest emergency department visit rates?
In 2022, emergency department visit rates were highest for infants younger than age 1, with 99 visits per 100 infants, and adults ages 75 and older, with 76 visits per 100 people.
Are emergency department visits increasing among older adults?
Emergency department visits by people over age 65 increased by more than 27% from 2005 to 2015, showing rising ER demand among older adults.
Do men or women visit the emergency department more often?
In 2022, emergency department visit rates were similar for females and males, with 51 visits per 100 females compared to 44 visits per 100 males.
Which racial or ethnic group has the highest emergency department visit rate?
In 2022, Black or African American non-Hispanic people had the highest emergency department visit rate among selected racial and ethnic groups, at 91 visits per 100 people.
Injury-Related Emergency Department Visits
How many emergency department visits are injury-related?
There are about 43.5 million injury-related emergency department visits in the United States each year, including visits for poisoning and adverse effects.
What percentage of Americans visit the ER for nonfatal injuries each year?
About 40.5% of Americans visit the emergency room each year to treat nonfatal injuries.
Emergency Department Wait Times and Length of Stay
What percentage of emergency department patients are seen within 15 minutes?
About 40.6% of emergency department visits involve patients being seen by a provider in fewer than 15 minutes.
How long do ER patients wait for pain medication for broken bones?
In full-scale hospital emergency rooms, patients with broken bones wait an average of about 54 minutes before receiving pain medication.
How long does the average ER visit take?
The average ER visit takes about 135 minutes from arrival to discharge for patients who are treated and sent home.
Emergency Department Admissions and Patient Outcomes
How many emergency department visits result in hospital admission?
About 17.8 million emergency department visits in the United States result in hospital admission each year.
What percentage of ER visits result in hospitalization?
Only about 9% of annual emergency room visits result in hospitalization.
How many emergency room patients are treated and released?
In 2021, 87% of emergency room patients were treated and released.
What percentage of hospital admissions come through the emergency room?
Emergency rooms serve as the point of entry for approximately 50% of inpatient hospital admissions.
What percentage of emergency department visits involved COVID-19 in 2022?
In 2022, COVID-19 was confirmed as a diagnosis in 4.8% of all emergency department patient visits.
Emergency Department Costs
How much does the average emergency room visit cost?
The average cost of an emergency room visit after an accident is about $3,300.
How much do emergency department visits cost in the U.S.?
In 2020, emergency department visits cost the U.S. about $76.3 billion in total.
Non-Urgent ER Visits
How many adults go to the emergency department for non-urgent care?
In 2024, 24% of adults ages 18 to 64 who used the emergency department went for non-urgent reasons.
How many emergency department visits are potentially unnecessary?
Up to 60% of emergency department visits are considered non-urgent and potentially unnecessary, meaning many patients could be treated in a lower-acuity care setting.
Long-Term Acute Care Statistics
How many Medicare patients receive care in long-term acute care hospitals?
More than 70,000 Medicare beneficiaries receive care in long-term acute care hospitals for prolonged medical illnesses.
How many older adults’ conditions worsen after long-term acute care hospital stays?
About 4 in 5 older adults admitted to long-term acute care hospitals either die or survive with severe functional or cognitive impairments within two and a half years after hospitalization.
What percentage of long-term care hospital patients develop new or worsened pressure injuries?
Among patients who stayed in long-term care hospitals, 3.36% had pressure ulcers or pressure injuries that were new or worsened during their stay.
What is the survival rate after a long-term acute care hospital stay?
Fewer than 50% of adults over age 65 survive the year after a long-term acute care hospital stay.
LTAC Market and Care Delivery Trends
How much is the long-term acute care market worth in the U.S.?
The long-term acute care market was valued at approximately $1.32 billion in 2025.
How much the long-term acute care market in the U.S. expected to grow?
The long-term acute care market in the U.S. is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 5.7% from 2026 to 2032.
How many extended hospital stays involve LTAC services?
More than 55% of extended hospital stays now involve patients who require long-term acute care services.
How many LTAC facilities use collaborative care models?
Around 45% of long-term acute care facilities use collaborative care models involving physicians, nurses, and therapists to support faster recovery and better clinical outcomes.
How many new healthcare initiatives focus on LTAC capabilities?
Approximately 40% of new healthcare initiatives are directed toward strengthening long-term acute care capabilities.
When Care Can’t Wait, REVA Is Here For You 24/7
When the care you need isn’t available locally, REVA helps you get there safely.
Our air ambulance teams provide critical, in-flight medical care while connecting your loved one with leading hospitals across the U.S. and worldwide.
Call us anytime, day or night to arrange your air ambulance.
Sources
CDC Logo
National Center for Health Statistics. “Emergency Department Visits.”
The Emergency Center. “Emergency Room Visit Statistics Across the Country.”
Pamela L. Owens PhD. “Emergency Department Care in the United States: A Profile of National Data Sources.” ScienceDirect.
Christopher Cairns, M.P.H. “Emergency Department Visit Rates by Selected Characteristics: United States, 2022.” National Library of Medicine. August 2024.
NCQA. “Emergency Department Utilization (EDU).”
Julia Eisen. “Poor Outcomes With Long-term Acute Care Hospitals.” Yale School of Medicine. July 24, 2024.
Medicare.gov. “Infirmary Ltac Hospital.”
ReAnIn. “Long-Term Acute Care (LTAC) Market Size & Share Analysis – Growth Trends And Forecast (2025 – 2032).” April 2026.