U.S. hospitals meeting c-section targets 2022

According to a U.S. hospital survey, less than half of U.S. hospitals are meeting the national target for cesarean sections (c-sections) in 2022. The current target for c-section births at U.S. hospitals of low-risk, first-time mothers is 23.6 percent. This is the Healthy People 2030 target of 23.6 percent for Nulliparous, Term, Singleton, Vertex (NTSV) cesarean birth rate, a standardized measure for ease of comparison between hospitals*. However, the actual average rate of NTSV c-section is currently at 25.2 percent. Still higher is the rate of c-section among all live births in the U.S. at 32.1 percent in 2021 (which includes mothers of higher risks such as giving birth to multiples).

Number of U.S. hospitals that are meeting or failing the national cesarean section target as of 2022

Characteristic	Number of hospitals
Hospitals meeting the national standard*	738
Hospitals not meeting the national standard*	936

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Release date

May 2023

More information

Region

United States

Survey time period

2022

Special properties

Over 2,300 hospitals that have the "2022 Leapfrom Hospital Survey" publicly reported, representing 74% of U.S. hospital beds.

Supplementary notes

*National Healthy People 2030 target: NTSV cesarean birth rate: 23.6%.
Nulliparous, Term, Singleton, Vertex (NTSV) Cesarean Birth rate: referring to C-sections for mothers with first-time pregnancies (nulliparous) that have reached at least 37 weeks of gestation (term) and have a single baby (singleton) in the head-down position (vertex). This measure exclusively examines the population of women least likely to need a C-section, offering a standardized way to compare rates at different hospitals.

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