These 22 Hospitals Are The Best Places To Have A Baby In PA: U.S. News

PENNSYLVANIA — Where to have a baby is one of the most important decisions Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania, 22 hospitals met the criteria for the list, and 13 were 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 Pennsylvania out of 44 evaluated include:

• Jefferson Health-Abington Hospital
• Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest, Allentown
• UPMC Altoona
• Main Line Health Bryn Mawr Hospital
• UPMC Carlisle (also named a Maternity Access Hospital)
• WellSpan Chambersburg Hospital (also named a Maternity Access Hospital)
• Einstein Medical Center Montgomery, East Norriton
• Lehigh Valley Hospital-Pocono, East Stroudsburg (also named a Maternity Access Hospital)
• WellSpan Ephrata Community Hospital
• WellSpan Gettysburg Hospital (also named a Maternity Access Hospital)
• Independence Health System Westmoreland Hospital, Greensburg (also named a Maternity Access Hospital)
• UPMC Hanover
• UPMC Harrisburg
• Jefferson Hospital - Jefferson Hills
• Main Line Health Riddle Hospital, Media
• Main Line Health Paoli Hospital
• Einstein Medical Center Philadelphia
• Phoenixville Hospital
• West Penn Hispital
• Lehigh Valley Hospital - Schuylkill South Jackson Street, Pottsville (also named a Maternity Access Hospital)
• Penn State Health St. Joseph, Reading
• AHN Wexford Hospital
• UPMC Williamsport
• UPMC Memorial, York

Several other hospitals were named Maternity Access Hospitals, though they were not designated as high performing:

• UPMC Cole, Coudersport
• Independence Health System Westmoreland Hospital, Greensburg
• Lehigh Valley Hospital-Hazleton
• WellSpan Good Samaritan Hospital, Lebanon
• Guthrie Robert Packer Hospital, Sayre
• UPMC Northwest, Seneca
• UPMC Wellsboro, Wellsboro

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 17 hospitals evaluated in the Philadelphia metro, 11 are included on the list; and among six Pittsburgh-area hospitals evaluated, three are included on the list: Jefferson Hospital-Jefferson Hills, West Penn Hospital, and AHN Wexford Hospital.

Other high-performing hospitals in the Philly area include:

• Cooper University Health Care-Camden, NJ
• Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Camden, NJ
• Virtua Mount Holly Hospital, NJ
• Jefferson Health-Stratford, Cherry Hill and Washington Township, NJ
• Virtua Voorhees Hospital, NJ

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.