U.S. Emergency Department Stays Average 2.7 Hours With Wide State Gaps

Overview

• The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services data covering September 2024 to September 2025 shows a national median emergency department visit length of about 162 minutes, a figure confirmed across multiple outlets.
• Visit lengths vary sharply by place, with Washington, D.C. at about 303 minutes and Maryland at about 246 minutes while most states fall between two and three hours.
• A recent JAMA-linked study found heavy boarding: more than 17% of admitted ED patients waited at least four hours without an inpatient team, nearly 23,000 waited 12 hours or more, and about 4,500 waited 24 hours or longer.
• Some hospitals report clear operational wins that cut walkouts and speeds care, for example Banner Estrella’s Accelerated Care Experience reduced patients leaving without being seen to about 1%, and systems have used triage changes, pediatric pods and lab-process fixes to improve throughput.
• Experts warn that new Medicaid eligibility checks and work requirements starting in 2027 could drop coverage for millions, which would likely push more low‑acuity and uninsured patients to EDs that must provide stabilizing care under EMTALA and serve as a safety net.