Each year, U.S. News & World Report releases a nationwide ranking of the best hospitals along with an assessment of their specialties, which range from orthopedics to cancer care.
The just-published report included an “Honor Roll” of what U.S. News considers the 20 best hospitals in the country, 505 “Best Regional Hospitals” that the report said “demonstrated superior patient outcomes,” and introduced new “regional specialty rankings” in cancer, cardiology, heart and vascular surgery, orthopedics, and rehabilitation.
These new rankings, said Ben Harder, the chief of health analysis and managing editor at U.S. News, are intended to give patients “an easy new way to evaluate their local options in consultation with their medical providers.”
In the 2026-2027 rankings, California had the highest number of Best Regional Hospitals at 70, followed by Texas at 38, and Florida at 32.
Several regions across the country, noted the press release by U.S. News, are notable for having five or more of the “Best Regional Hospitals.” Sacramento is one of those metropolitan areas, with six hospitals represented on the list.
How many hospitals does U.S. News grade?
For its 37th annual report the publication analyzed 4,494 hospitals across the nation to determine the top options for patient care.
How many of the nation’s best hospitals are in California?
California has five hospitals on the 2026-2027 Honor Roll:
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los AngelesStanford Health Care-Stanford HospitalUC San Diego Health-La Jolla, Hillcrest, & East Campus Medical CentersUCLA Ronald Reagan Medical CenterUCSF Health-UCSF Medical Center
According to U.S. News, the best hospitals were chosen “based on measures such as risk-adjusted mortality rates, preventable complications and patient experience.”
What are the best hospitals in Sacramento?
Here are the hospitals judged by U.S. News and their rankings as the best in the Sacramento area:
UC Davis Medical Center, Sacramento
#1 in Sacramento area
Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento
#2 in Sacramento area
Mercy General Hospital, Sacramento
#3 in Sacramento area
Kaiser Permanente Roseville Medical Center, Roseville
Tied for #4 in Sacramento area
Sutter Roseville Medical Center, Roseville
Tied for #4 in Sacramento area
Kaiser Permanente South Sacramento Medical Center, Sacramento
#6 in Sacramento
UC Davis Medical Center is also ranked the 8th best hospital in California.
Which area hospitals offer the best cancer, cardiovascular care?
A number of local hospitals were also recognized in the regional specialty rankings for their performance in certain treatments and conditions.
UC Davis Medical Center
“High Performing” ratings for cancer treatment, cardiology, heart and vascular surgery, and orthopedics.
Mercy General Hospital
“High Performing” ratings for cardiology, heart and vascular surgery, and rehabilitation
Sutter Medical Center-Sacramento
“High Performing” rating for cardiology, heart and vascular surgery
Sutter Roseville Medical Center
“High Performing” rating for rehabilitation
Sacramento Rehabilitation Hospital was also recognized as “High Performing” in the Rehabilitation category.
The report rated hospital performance in 14 specialties or specialty areas, ranging from cancer to geriatrics to urology. In 11 of these, whether and how a hospital was ranked was determined by data-driven analysis combining performance measures in three main aspects of healthcare: outcomes, process, and structure.
In three other specialties, rankings relied solely on expert opinion, according to the report’s methodology.
This story was originally published August 4, 2026 at 5:00 AM.
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Anne Ewbank is a service journalist and food reporter for The Sacramento Bee. Previously, she worked as a writer and editor for the New York-based travel website Atlas Obscura, where she covered food and culture. A California native, she is a graduate of Occidental College and Yale University.