U.S. hospital costs by type of expense in percent 2016

The greatest expense of hospitals in the United States is paying wages and benefits. Wages and benefits account for around 56 percent of all hospital expenses. Hospitals do not only play a vital role in maintaining the health of a population, but also contribute significantly to the economy.

Economic impact of hospitals

In 2016, it was estimated that the total contribution of hospitals in the U.S. to the economy was around 2.97 trillion dollars. As hospitals employ many doctors, nurses, and specialists, a good portion of this contribution is from wages and salaries. In 2018, over seven million people were employed in hospitals in the U.S., with employment in hospitals accounting for around 40 percent of all employment in health service sites.

Treatment and stays

Unsurprisingly, stays in hospitals increase with age but, on average, around 6.4 percent of the population had one or more stays in the hospital in the past year. The most common medical conditions that led adults to be hospitalized included pain, other physical illnesses, and virus or bacterial infections. A recent survey from Statista found that a majority of U.S. adults who were treated at a hospital were satisfied with their treatment.