The most expensive states for ER visits, ranked

Have you ever been in a hospital emergency room? Maybe you broke your leg or had a burst appendix. When medical emergencies strike, an ER visit could spell the difference between life and death. 

But, like many things in the American health care system, the cost of this kind of life-saving hospital care varies widely based on where you live or which hospital you visit. 

Hospital Pricing Specialists collected billing data from nearly 4,500 hospitals across the country to gauge the average price of a moderate-severity ER visit  — the most common kind of visit — in each state. (Think acute pain of unknown origin, or a fever greater than 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit.)

The overall price tag is made up of emergency room charges, lab and radiology tests, pharmacy and supply costs, and other hospital fees. Each line item also includes charges that go toward paying the health care providers themselves. 

In this gallery, the numbers are presented before any medical insurance is applied. Here are the 50 states (and Washington, D.C.) ranked by the pre-insurance cost of a moderate-severity ER visit.

A moderate-severity ER visit in Maryland costs an average of $623 before insurance.

Maine hospitals charge an average of $952 for moderate-severity emergency room visits.

A visit to a West Virginia ER will run you $1,127 on average.

The average price of emergency hospital care in Montana is $1,138.

A visit to a Louisiana ER costs an average of $1,184 before insurance.

To alleviate overcrowding at local hospitals, this New Orleans field hospital was built in 2020 to accommodate up to 1,000 COVID-19 patients.

Hospitals charge an average of $1,200 for moderate-severity ER visits in Massachusetts.

Have a medical emergency in North Dakota? The average price tag for a moderate-severity visit will be around $1,245.

Visits to emergency rooms in Michigan cost an average of $1,273.

Kansas hospitals charge around $1,294 per moderate-severity ER visit.

It will run you around $1,304 to receive care in an Arkansas ER.

Iowa hospitals charge an average of $1,377 per ER visit.

Here, volunteers on the Strawberry Point Ambulance Service pose during a Christmas snowstorm.

It costs an average of $1,386 for an ER visit in Vermont.

Hospitals in Wyoming charge an average of $1,411 per moderate-severity ER visit.

Visits to the ER in Ohio cost an average of $1,435 before insurance.

On average, ER visits in Oregon cost $1,437 before insurance.

Minnesota hospitals charge an average of $1,462 per moderate-severity ER visit.

In Utah, the average ER visit costs around $1,464.

Before insurance, an ER visit in Oklahoma costs around $1,466.

Connecticut emergency rooms charge an average of $1,493 before insurance.

A moderate-severity ER visit in Wisconsin will cost you around $1,496.

In Alabama, you'll pay an average of $1,496 for a moderate-severity ER visit.

It costs $1,574 for a moderate-severity ER visit in New Mexico.

Mississippi hospitals have an average sticker price of $1,583 per ER visit.

It costs an average of $1,589 for ER treatment in North Carolina.

Georgia emergency rooms charge an average of $1,596 before insurance.

Before insurance, an ER visit in Delaware costs around $1,596.

Hospitals in Indiana charge an average of $1,618 per ER visit.

The average sticker price of a South Dakota ER visit is $1,641.

A moderate-severity ER visit in Pennsylvania costs $1,645 before insurance.

The average visit to the ER in New York comes in at $1,668. 

Missouri hospitals charge $1,717 before insurance.

In Kentucky, hospitals bill an average of $1,740 per ER visit.

Before insurance, the average Rhode Island ER visit costs $1,750.

It costs an average of $1,758 for an ER visit in South Carolina.

In New Hampshire, a moderate-severity ER visit costs an average of $1,787.

For an ER visit in Illinois, hospitals bill an average of $1,818 before insurance.

Washington hospitals charge $1,841, on average, for each ER visit.

Here, a COVID-19 survivor donates convalescent plasma in Seattle.

Nebraska emergency rooms charge an average of $1,844 before insurance.

In the nation's capital, hospitals charge $1,879 for the average moderate-severity ER visit.

In this Appalachian state, the average ER visit rings up at $1,883 before insurance.

Hospitals in Virginia charge ER patients an average of $1,941 for moderate-severity cases.

On average, it costs $2,070 to receive ER treatment in Alaska.

An ER visit in Hawaii costs an average of $2,076 before insurance.

The average visit to the ER in Idaho comes in at $2,159. 

It costs an average of $2,283 per visit to an Arizona emergency room.

Everything is bigger in Texas? The ER bills are certainly quite large. Hospitals charge an average of $2,318 per visit.

Before insurance, the average Nevada emergency room bill rings in at $2,583.

Hospitals in Colorado charge an average of $2,886 per ER visit.

ER visits in the Golden State cost an average of $2,960 before insurance.

New Jersey hospitals bill a whopping $3,087 per ER visit before insurance.

Florida is the most expensive state for emergency room visits. Moderate-severity ER patients are billed an average of $3,102 before insurance.