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Birth Center Stats, 2026
We mapped where Americans can give birth — 4,787 listed birth centers and hospital maternity units with 630,138 parent reviews between them. Here's where birth options are easy to reach, and where they aren't. (Journalists & bloggers: cite freely with a link.)
Birth centers per million residents, by state
Every state welcomes babies, but birth-place options are wildly uneven. Listed birth centers and maternity units per million residents — a rough proxy for how much choice families have about where to give birth.
| # | State | Facilities | Per million people |
| 1 | Utah | 137 | 39.1 |
| 2 | Wyoming | 20 | 34 |
| 3 | Vermont | 22 | 33.9 |
| 4 | Alaska | 24 | 32.4 |
| 5 | Idaho | 64 | 32 |
| 6 | New Hampshire | 37 | 26.3 |
| 7 | South Dakota | 23 | 24.9 |
| 8 | Oregon | 98 | 22.9 |
| 9 | Montana | 26 | 22.9 |
| 10 | Colorado | 131 | 22 |
| 11 | Washington | 175 | 22 |
| 12 | Maine | 29 | 20.6 |
| 13 | Kansas | 60 | 20.2 |
| 14 | New Mexico | 42 | 19.7 |
| 15 | Wisconsin | 115 | 19.3 |
Where freestanding birth centers are (and aren't)
Freestanding birth centers — midwife-led facilities outside a hospital — are the option many families search for first, and the one that's hardest to find. They make up 74% of the facilities we list; hospital maternity units make up the rest. States with the most:
| # | State | Freestanding birth centers |
| 1 | California | 405 |
| 2 | Texas | 321 |
| 3 | Florida | 214 |
| 4 | Washington | 139 |
| 5 | Illinois | 129 |
| 6 | New York | 123 |
| 7 | Michigan | 108 |
| 8 | Pennsylvania | 106 |
| 9 | Georgia | 105 |
| 10 | Ohio | 99 |
| 11 | Tennessee | 96 |
| 12 | Utah | 96 |
| 13 | Colorado | 88 |
| 14 | Virginia | 87 |
| 15 | Wisconsin | 85 |
Where water birth is actually available
1,092 of the 4,787 facilities we list (23%) show evidence of offering water birth or labor tubs — on their own websites, in their listings, or in parent reviews. It's one of the most-searched birth options in America, and one of the most unevenly available: common at freestanding birth centers, far rarer on hospital labor floors. Tub availability can change and often depends on your pregnancy, so confirm directly with the facility and your provider. Browse by city in the water birth directory.
America's best-served cities
Listed facilities per 100k residents, cities over 50,000 population with 2+ birth centers or maternity units.
| # | City | Facilities | Per 100k |
| 1 | Greenville, SC | 15 | 20.2 |
| 2 | Pensacola, FL | 9 | 16.7 |
| 3 | Santa Cruz, CA | 10 | 16 |
| 4 | Bozeman, MT | 9 | 15.5 |
| 5 | Idaho Falls, ID | 9 | 12.9 |
| 6 | Murray, UT | 6 | 11.8 |
| 7 | Orem, UT | 11 | 11.4 |
| 8 | Grand Junction, CO | 8 | 11.3 |
| 9 | Rockwall, TX | 6 | 11.2 |
| 10 | Ypsilanti, MI | 6 | 11 |
| 11 | Saratoga Springs, UT | 6 | 10.5 |
| 12 | St. George, UT | 11 | 10.3 |
| 13 | Frederick, MD | 9 | 10.1 |
| 14 | Troy, NY | 5 | 9.8 |
| 15 | Richland, WA | 6 | 9.3 |
Small towns with a place to give birth
Birth centers aren't only a big-city thing. The smallest towns in our directory with a listed birth center or maternity unit:
| Town | Population | Facilities |
| Sebring, FL | — | |
| Safety Harbor, FL | — | |
| Salem, VA | — | |
| Hinsdale, IL | — | |
| Fayetteville, GA | — | |
| Oxford, MS | — | |
| Tomball, TX | — | |
| Bartow, FL | — | |
| South Windsor, CT | — | |
| Bellefontaine, OH | — | |
| Payson, UT | — | |
| Jasper, AL | — | |
| Greeneville, TN | — | |
| Bristol, TN | — | |
| Fayetteville, GA | — |
America's most-reviewed birth facilities
Every review is a family that took the time after one of the biggest days of their lives. These facilities have the most.
- Kootenai Health — Coeur d'Alene, ID ★★★★★ 4.6
- St. Mark's Hospital — Salt Lake City, UT ★★★★★ 4.5
- Iredell Memorial Hospital — Statesville, NC ★★★★★ 4.7
- HCA Florida Brandon Hospital — Brandon, FL ★★★★☆ 3.9
- St. David's Medical Center — Austin, TX ★★★★★ 4.6
- Dignity Health Chandler Regional Medical Center — Chandler, AZ ★★★★☆ 4.3
- AdventHealth Sebring — Sebring, FL ★★★★★ 4.6
- Johnston-Willis Hospital — Richmond, VA ★★★★★ 4.5
- Morton Plant Hospital — Clearwater, FL ★★★★★ 4.5
- Baptist Health South Miami Hospital — Miami, FL ★★★★★ 4.7
More data: the full stats suite
Each page below is a standalone dataset with a downloadable CSV — free to cite with a link.
- The Birth Center Access Map (2026) — listed facilities per 100,000 residents in all 50 states + DC, and where access runs thin.
- Water Birth Availability by State (2026) — the share of facilities with confirmed water-birth evidence, state by state.
- The Best US Cities for Birth Center Access (2026) — density × parent ratings, the 25-city composite ranking.
- The Largest Cities With One or No Birth Center (2026) — big US cities with at most one listed facility in city limits.