Press room
HospiceCompare is a free directory and comparison of Medicare-certified hospices, built on public data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Reporters may use every number, chart and download here, with credit. We are not affiliated with Medicare or CMS.
Questions, data requests and corrections: info@funeralus.com
National findings
The number of hospices that billed Medicare in the United States rose from 2,758 in 2014 to 5,359 in 2024 (+94%), while the number of Medicare hospice patients rose from 1,141,789 to 1,815,402 (+59%), according to a HospiceCompare analysis of CMS data. Hospices CMS lists as for-profit went from 1,644 to 4,061 over the same years; nonprofit hospices went from 751 to 825.
Medicare hospice patients and hospices, 2014 to 2024
Each year counts the hospices in CMS’s utilization file, that is, hospices that reported Medicare patients that year, and the people with Medicare they cared for. A person cared for by two hospices in a year is counted by both.
| Year | Hospices | Medicare patients |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 2,758 | 1,141,789 |
| 2015 | 2,892 | 1,207,565 |
| 2016 | 3,052 | 1,273,856 |
| 2017 | 3,234 | 1,356,027 |
| 2018 | 3,434 | 1,430,097 |
| 2019 | 3,606 | 1,498,692 |
| 2020 | 3,801 | 1,588,122 |
| 2021 | 4,088 | 1,663,219 |
| 2022 | 4,421 | 1,673,752 |
| 2023 | 4,880 | 1,715,574 |
| 2024 | 5,359 | 1,815,402 |
Source: HospiceCompare analysis of CMS data (Medicare Post-Acute Care and Hospice utilization by provider, 2014 to 2024, loaded October 20, 2026).
Ownership
Ownership is what CMS lists for each hospice today (Care Compare, else the enrollment file), also for past years. Government includes CMS’s combined government and nonprofit category. Other is CMS’s own category.
| Ownership | 2014 | 2019 | 2024 | Change | Today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| For-profit | 1,644 | 2,390 | 4,061 | +147% | 4,350 (76%) |
| Nonprofit | 751 | 790 | 825 | +10% | 854 (15%) |
| Government | 97 | 103 | 104 | +7% | 106 (2%) |
| Other | 266 | 323 | 369 | +39% | 379 (7%) |
Years: hospices that billed Medicare. Today: hospices with an office in the latest CMS enrollment file. Source: HospiceCompare analysis of CMS data (Medicare Post-Acute Care and Hospice utilization by provider, 2014 to 2024, loaded October 20, 2026).
CMS family survey star ratings
CMS rates hospices from one to five stars on the CAHPS Hospice Survey of family caregivers. It publishes a rating only when enough families answered the survey, so 3,573 of 5,689 hospices (63%) have none.
| Star rating | Hospices | Share of rated |
|---|---|---|
| 1 star | 33 | 2% |
| 2 stars | 193 | 9% |
| 3 stars | 615 | 29% |
| 4 stars | 864 | 41% |
| 5 stars | 411 | 19% |
| No rating from CMS | 3,573 |
Source: HospiceCompare analysis of CMS data (Care Compare hospice data released August 2026; Hospice Enrollments loaded October 20, 2026).
Where the number of hospices grew fastest
Change in hospices that billed Medicare from 2014 to 2024, for states with at least 20 in 2014. A count, not a judgement of the hospices.
| State | 2014 | 2024 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 240 | 1,318 | +449% |
| Nevada | 21 | 94 | +348% |
| Arizona | 57 | 185 | +225% |
| Texas | 309 | 781 | +153% |
| Colorado | 37 | 72 | +95% |
| Michigan | 83 | 153 | +84% |
| Oregon | 34 | 61 | +79% |
| Georgia | 126 | 226 | +79% |
| Idaho | 31 | 50 | +61% |
| Indiana | 58 | 93 | +60% |
Source: HospiceCompare analysis of CMS data (Medicare Post-Acute Care and Hospice utilization by provider, 2014 to 2024, loaded October 20, 2026).
State fact sheets
For local reporters: each state and DC on one page, with a quote, the largest hospices, counties, a CSV of every hospice and a printable PDF.
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
How to cite
Please credit “a HospiceCompare analysis of CMS data” and link to the page you used. For example:
HospiceCompare analysis of CMS data (Care Compare hospice data released August 2026; Medicare hospice utilization 2014 to 2024). https://www.hospicecompare.org/press
The numbers are counts and shares from CMS files. We do not rank or score hospices. CMS star ratings, survey percentages and the Hospice Care Index are CMS’s own; only averages of star ratings, which CMS does not publish, are computed by us. How we match, count and average is on Data and methods.
Releases used: Care Compare hospice data, August 2026; Medicare hospice utilization, 2014 to 2024; Hospice Enrollments loaded October 20, 2026.
