3 PA Children’s Hospitals Among Nation’s Best: U.S. News Rankings

PENNSYLVANIA — Three children’s hospitals in Pennsylvania have been named among the best in the country in a new U.S. News & World Report ranking that for the first time includes pediatric and adolescent behavioral health specialty rankings.

All three of these hospitals were ranked among the top 50 nationally for behavioral health services in the 2024-2025 Best Children’s Hospitals rankings. Here’s how Pennsylvania hospitals performed.

• Children's Hospital of Philadelphia was ranked No. 1 in the state. For specialties, CHOP came in at No. 1 in the nation for diabetes & endocrinology, as well as orthopedics. The hospital was also ranked No. 3 nationally for cancer, urology, gastroenterology & GI surgery, and pulmonology & lung surgery. In the other five specialties, CHOP was in the Top 20.
• UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh was ranked No. 2 in the state, with a No. 8 ranking nationally in diabetes & endocrinology, as well as pulmonology & lung surgery. In the other nine specialties, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh came in at No. 33 or higher.
• Penn State Health Children's Hospital (Hershey) was ranked No. 3 in the state, and No. 35 for pediatric cancer care.

The hospitals were evaluated across 11 pediatric specialties. U.S. News chief of health analysis and managing editor Ben Harder said the inclusion of behavioral health specialty hospitals is a reflection of the changing needs of society.

“This year’s inclusion of behavioral health as a new specialty is significant, as 1 in 5 U.S. children has a mental, emotional, behavioral or developmental disorder, according to the Department of Health and Human Services,” Harder said in a news release. “U.S. News is responding to the growing mental health crisis among America’s youth by giving families a valuable source of behavioral health data as part of our increasingly comprehensive view of pediatric care.”

For the 2024–2025 rankings, U.S. News, together with RTI International, a North Carolina-based research and consulting firm, collected and analyzed data from 108 children’s hospitals and surveyed thousands of pediatric specialists.

Here are the nation’s top three hospitals by specialty area:

Pediatric Cancer

1. Cincinnati Children's
2. Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center
3. Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Pediatric Cardiology & Heart Surgery

1. Texas Children's Hospital, Houston
2. MUSC Children's Heart Network of South Carolina, Charleston
3. Rady Children's Hospital, San Diego

Pediatric Neurology & Neurosurgery

1. Boston Children's Hospital
2. Texas Children's Hospital, Houston
3. Cincinnati Children's

Pediatric Orthopedics

1. Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
2. Children's Medical Center Dallas-Scottish Rite for Children
3. Cincinnati Children's

Here are hospitals on the 2024-2025 Best Children’s Hospitals Honor Roll that are either ranked No. 1 or tied for No. 1 in its state and region:

• Boston Children's Hospital
• Children's Hospital Colorado
• Aurora Children's Hospital, Los Angeles
• Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
• Children's National Hospital, Washington, D.C.
• Cincinnati Children's Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio
• Rady Children's Hospital, San Diego
• Seattle Children's Hospital
• Texas Children's Hospital, Houston