The news magazine U.S. News & World Report recently published the top hospitals for maternity care in the nation for 2026 and 27 New Jersey hospitals made the list.
“Hospitals designated as a U.S. News Best Hospital for Maternity Care are national leaders. This recognition means they are consistently hitting crucial patient safety benchmarks compared to other hospitals,” said Jennifer Winston, health data scientist at U.S. News.
“It’s a clear signal to expectant parents about where the highest standards of care are being practiced – when parents see this designation, they can be assured they are choosing a hospital dedicated to exceptional, evidence-based maternity care.”
The publication evaluates how well hospitals perform in childbirth using C-section rates, newborn severe complication rates, routine vaginal birth after cesarean delivery (VBAC) rates, episiotomy rates, best practices to support breast milk feeding, whether a hospital meets federal criteria for “birthing-friendly” practices, and whether a hospital tracked and reported disparities in outcomes. In 2026, 495 top hospitals for maternity care have been recognized as high performing.
These are the New Jersey hospitals that made the list:
- Capital Health Medical Center-Hopewell, Pennington
- Chilton Medical Center Atlantic Health System, Pompton Plains
- Community Medical Center-Toms River, Toms River
- Cooper University Health Care-Camden, Camden
- Englewood Hospital, Englewood
- Hackensack University Medical Center at Hackensack Meridian Health, Hackensack
- Jefferson Washington Township, Cherry Hill and Stratford Hospitals-Jefferson Health, Stratford
- Jersey City Medical Center, Jersey City
- Jersey Shore University Medical Center at Hackensack Meridian Health, Neptune
- Monmouth Medical Center-Long Branch Campus, Long Branch
- Morristown Medical Center Atlantic Health System, Morristown
- Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, Newark
- Newton Medical Center Atlantic Health System, Newton
- Ocean University Medical Center at Hackensack Meridian Health, Brick Township
- Overlook Medical Center Atlantic Health System, Summit
- Palisades Medical Center at Hackensack Meridian Health, North Bergen
- Raritan Bay and Old Bridge Medical Centers at Hackensack Meridian Health, Perth Amboy
- Riverview Medical Center at Hackensack Meridian Health, Red Bank
- Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, New Brunswick
- Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset, Somerville
- Southern Ocean Medical Center at Hackensack Meridian Health, Manahawkin
- St. Clare’s Denville Hospital, Denville
- St. Peter’s University Hospital, New Brunswick
- Trinitas Regional Medical Center RWJBH, Elizabeth
- Virtua Mount Holly Hospital, Mount Holly
- Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Camden
- Virtua Voorhees Hospital, Voorhees
Among the highlights for New Jersey hospitals, seven RWJBarnabas health facilities earned national recognition from U.S. News as did seven hospitals in the Hackensack Meridian Health system. All three of Virtua’s hospitals in South Jersey – Virtua Voorhees, Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes, and Virtua Mount Holly Hospitals – made the list. Four Atlantic Health System hospitals were recognized by U.S. News. Englewood Hospital earned a place on the list for the fifth year.
