Report: 100 Rural Hospitals Have Closed Labor and Delivery in 5 Years

From Becker’s Hospital Review

Labor and delivery services have ended or are set to end at 100 rural hospitals since the end of 2020, highlighting a growing maternal health access crisis across the U.S.

The findings come from the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform’s most recent report on rural maternity care. Since the beginning of 2025, Becker’s has also reported on 13 maternity service closures, with four alone closing in Maine.

The report also revealed that 42% of U.S. rural hospitals still provide labor and delivery services, with less than one-third offering the services in 10 states. Over 130 rural hospitals that still deliver babies lost money in the last two years and could be forced to close the services to maintain financial sustainability.

Travel time to access labor and delivery services in rural areas has also increased. In many urban areas, the services are often accessible in less than 20 minutes, but in rural areas, travel times can take as much as 30 to 50 minutes.

“Rural maternity care is in a state of crisis, and more women and babies in rural communities will die unnecessarily until the crisis is resolved,” the report said. “Federal and state government officials and private employers must take immediate action to ensure that all health insurance plans are paying adequately to support high-quality maternity care in every community.”

Below are 10 states from the report that have seen heightened levels of labor and delivery unit closures since 2020. Their drive time to hospitals with labor and delivery services along with the number of rural hospitals with no labor and delivery services in 2025 are also listed, per the report.

CHQPR’s full report can be accessed here.

1. Alabama