These 25 Hospitals Are The Best Places To Have A Baby In NJ: U.S. News

NEW JERSEY — Where to have a baby is one of the most important decisions New Jersey parents make. To help guide them, U.S. News & World Report has released its 2025 Best Hospitals for Maternity Care.

An all-time high 817 hospitals providing labor and delivery care were evaluated but only about half were selected, U.S. News said.

In New Jersey, 25 hospitals met the criteria for the list, including two designated as Maternity Care Access Hospitals. The latter list is in its second year, and recognizes 118 hospitals that serve expectant parents who might not otherwise be able to get prenatal and delivery care.

High-performing maternity care hospitals in New Jersey out of 32 evaluated include:

• AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center, Atlantic City Campus
• Ocean University Medical Center at Hackensack Meridian Health
• Cooper University Health Care-Camden
• Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital
• Trinitas Regional Medical Center RWJBH
• Englewood Hospital
• Hackensack University Medical Center at Hackensack Meridian Health
• Monmouth Medical Center-Long Branch Campus
• Morristown Medical Center at Atlantic Health System
• Virtua Mount Holly Hospital
• Jersey Shore University Medical Center at Hackensack Meridian Health
• Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital
• St. Peter's University Hospital
• Newark Beth Israel Medical Center
• Newton Medical Center (also named a Maternity Access Hospital)
• Palisades Medical Center at Hackensack Meridian Health
• Capital Health Medical Center-Hopewell
• Raritan Bay and Old Bridge Medical Centers at Hackensack Meridian Health
• Chilton Medical Center
• Riverview Medical Center at Hackensack Meridian Health
• Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset
• Jefferson Health-Stratford, Cherry Hill and Washington Township
• Overlook Medical Center at Atlantic Health System
• Community Medical Center-Toms River
• Virtua Voorhees Hospital

In addition, Southern Ocean Medical Center at Hackensack Meridian Health was named a Maternity Access Hospital.

These 10 metropolitan areas, listed in alphabetical order, have the greatest number of Best Hospitals for Maternity Care in the U.S.:

1. Chicago
2. Dallas-Fort Worth
3. Denver
4. Detroit
5. Los Angeles
6. New York
7. Philadelphia
8. Riverside-San Bernardino, California
9. San Francisco
10. Seattle

Among 62 hospitals evaluated in the New York City metro, 29 are included on the list; and among 17 Philadelphia-area hospitals evaluated, 11 are included on the list.

Other hospitals on the "best" list in the New York City metro (all in New York state) include:

• Montefiore Medical Center, the Bronx
• NYC Health and Hospitals-Lincoln, the Bronx
• St. Barnabas Hospital, the Bronx
• New York-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital
• NYC Health and Hospitals-Woodhull, Brooklyn
• NYC Health and Hospitals-Elmhurst
• Long Island Jewish Medical Center at Northwell Health, New Hyde Park
• Lenox Hill Hospital at Northwell Health, Manhattan
• NYC Health and Hospitals-Bellevue, Manhattan
• Montefiore Nyack Hospital
• Mount Sinai South Nassau Hospital, Oceanside

Other high-performing hospitals in the Philly area (all in Pennsylvania) include:

• Einstein Medical Center Montgomery, East Norriton
• Main Line Health Riddle Hospital, Media
• Main Line Health Paoli Hospital
• Einstein Medical Center Philadelphia
• Phoenixville Hospital

Jennifer Winston, U.S. News & World Report’s health data scientist, said in a news release the 2025 list is the most comprehensive since the ratings began in 2021.

“These high-performing hospitals showcase exceptional care for expectant parents, demonstrating significantly lower C-section rates and severe unexpected newborn complications compared to hospitals not recognized by U.S. News,” Winston said in a news release.

According to U.S. News, hospitals on the list:

• Are 47 percent more likely to be designated as “Baby-Friendly” by Baby Friendly USA, indicating a hospital has taken important steps to support breastfeeding;
• Have C-section rates 22 percent lower compared with maternity care hospitals not recognized by U.S. News;
• Have severe unexpected newborn complication rates 44 percent less often compared with maternity care hospitals not recognized by U.S. News;
• Have episiotomy rates 33 percent lower compared with maternity care hospitals not recognized by U.S. News;
• Have breast milk feeding rates 12 percent higher compared with maternity care hospitals not recognized by U.S. News;
• Are 13 percent more likely to report race/ethnicity data for both C-section and severe unexpected newborn complications compared with maternity care hospitals not recognized by U.S. News.

The list is based entirely on objective measures of quality, such as C-section rates in lower-risk pregnancies, severe unexpected newborn complication rates, exclusive breast milk feeding rates, birthing-friendly practices and reporting on racial/ethnic disparities, among other measures.