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New Jersey improved its showing on the U.S. News & World Report Best Maternity Hospital 2026 ranking.

According to the publication, 27 Garden State facilities are tops for maternal health. The latest recognizes two additional honorees than appeared on the 2025 version. Overall, 495 nationwide earned the distinction.

Out Dec. 9, U.S. News also included two New Jersey hospitals on its 2026 Maternity Care Access Hospitals collection:

• Hackensack Meridian Health Southern Ocean Medical Center, Manahawkin
• Atlantic Health Newton Medical Center, Newton

Access hospitals offer care in what might otherwise become maternity care deserts, according to the publication.

To determine them, U.S. News said it identified the only facility providing maternity care to a community. It then recognized 147 access hospitals nationwide after reviewing quality metrics.

Nearly every state hosts a high-performing facility. U.S. News evaluates the Best Hospitals for Maternity Care by C-section rates, severe unexpected newborn complications rate and more.

This year’s ranking is the the fifth from U.S. News. A record 901 hospitals that provide labor and delivery services took park by submitting detailed data for analysis. Thirty-four New Jersey hospitals submitted data.

Quality measures include:

• C-sections rates in lower-risk pregnancies
• Severe unexpected newborn complication rates
• Exclusive breast milk feeding rates

Said Jennifer Winston, health data scientist at U.S. News, “Whether your priority is a low C-section rate, strong VBAC support or the availability of a dedicated lactation consultant, U.S. News’ digital hospital profiles offer parents free, transparent information as they choose a hospital for their maternity care.”

U.S. News said both the Philadelphia and New York markets, which include N.J. facilities, were among those with the most “best” maternity hospitals.

The New Jersey U.S. News & World Report Best Maternity Hospitals 2026

• New Jersey Capital Health Medical Center-Hopewell, Pennington
• Atlantic Health Chilton Medical Center, Pompton Plains
• Atlantic Health Morristown Medical Center, Morristown
• Atlantic Health Newton Medical Center, Newton
• Atlantic Health Overlook Medical Center, Summit
• Community Medical Center, Toms River
• Cooper University Health Care, Camden
• Englewood Health, Englewood
• Hackensack Meridian Health Hackensack University Medical Center, Hackensack
• Hackensack Meridian Health Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Neptune
• Hackensack Meridian Health Ocean University Medical Center, Brick Township
• Hackensack Meridian Health Palisades Medical Center, North Bergen
• Hackensack Meridian Health Raritan Bay Medical Center, Perth Amboy
• Hackensack Meridian Health Riverview Medical Center, Red Bank
• Hackensack Meridian Health Southern Ocean Medical Center, Manahawkin
• Jefferson Stratford Hospital, Stratford
• Jersey City Medical Center, Jersey City
• Monmouth Medical Center, Long Branch Campus, Long Branch
• Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, Newark
• Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, New Brunswick
• Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset, Somerville
• Saint Clare’s Denville Hospital, Denville
• Saint Peter’s Healthcare System, New Brunswick
• Trinitas Regional Medical Center, Elizabeth
• Virtua Mount Holly Hospital, Mount Holly
• Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Camden
• Virtua Voorhees, Voorhees

This is the third year U.S. News & World Report recognized Maternity Care Access Hospitals. According to March of Dimes’ most recent Maternity Care Deserts Report, 9.7% of women have no birthing hospital within 30 minutes nationwide. Locally, that number is statistically 0%. More than 95% of New Jersey counties are defined as “full access.” Across the U.S. that figure is just over half (54.8%)

Across designations, U.S. News noted two major methodology changes for 2026. First, it asked hospitals to submit data for the prior calendar year. Additionally, facilities could submit election clinical quality measure (eCQMs) in lieu of chart-abstracted measures for certain perinatal care measures.

How does U.S. News determine the Best Hospitals for Maternity Care? Jennifer Winston, health data scientist, explains:

Newsweek released its most recent America’s Best Maternity Hospitals ranking in April. See which facilities ranked here.