National emergency medicine analytics, workforce intelligence, policy tracking, and public health trends — updated quarterly from CDC, CMS, and 5,000+ reporting EDs.
Northeast
28.4M
annual visits
38 min
avg wait
Southeast
42.1M
annual visits
51 min
avg wait
Midwest
31.2M
annual visits
35 min
avg wait
Southwest
22.8M
annual visits
46 min
avg wait
West
21.1M
annual visits
44 min
avg wait
Chest Pain / Cardiac Symptoms
8.2M visits
Abdominal Pain
7.8M visits
Respiratory Distress
6.9M visits
Injuries / Trauma
6.5M visits
Headache / Neurological
5.2M visits
Back Pain
4.8M visits
Fever / Infection
4.3M visits
Mental Health Crisis
3.9M visits
National average wait times increased 8 minutes (23%) compared to 2025, driven by staffing shortages and increased patient volumes.
Southeast region operating at 91% capacity, with multiple facilities reporting regular diversions and extended boarding times.
Mental health crisis visits increased 18% year-over-year, now representing 2.7% of all ER visits (3.9M annually).
Average ER visit cost rose 5.2% to $2,168, outpacing general healthcare inflation due to staffing costs and supply chain pressures.
ER Times aggregates data from multiple authoritative sources including the CDC's National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS), CMS claims data, SAMHSA's National Survey on Drug Use and Health, ACEP workforce surveys, state health departments, and voluntary reporting from over 5,000 emergency departments nationwide. All statistics are updated quarterly and represent the most recent available data as of Q2 2026.
Regional and state breakdowns reflect metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) and rural designations as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau. Wait time calculations include median time from triage to provider evaluation. Cost data represents mean total charges before insurance adjustments. Workforce data sourced from ACEP, AAEM, and ENA annual surveys.