Is health care in SC good overall? Here’s what new US News & World Report rankings show
In the 2025 Best States rankings released by U.S. News & World Report, South Carolina lands at #40 overall out of 50 states and Washington, D.C.
These rankings are part of a broader methodology that assesses how well states serve their residents across 71 metrics grouped into eight categories, with health care accounting for 15.51% of the overall state ranking – the second most significant factor after education.
Here’s how the Palmetto State ranks in different facets of health care from this report.
Nursing home quality: Ranked #26
South Carolina’s nursing home quality ranks #26 out of 50, placing it in the middle of the national pack.
This metric evaluates the quality of both short-term rehabilitation and long-term care services across the state. Factors include staffing levels, rates of hospitalization and facility performance.
Hospital quality: Ranked #10
One of South Carolina’s strongest performances comes in hospital quality, where it ranks #10 nationally.
This metric is based on data from the U.S. News Best Hospitals rankings, which consider a hospital’s ability to treat or perform procedures related to cancer, heart conditions, organ failure, and more.
Hospitals were scored on a proportional index based on their high or low performance ratings in critical treatment areas.
Preventable hospital admissions: Ranked #25
The preventable hospital admissions measure the number of hospital admissions per 100,000 Medicare beneficiaries that could have been avoided with proper primary care.
A lower rate indicates better access to and use of outpatient services, meaning that states with lower rates of preventable hospital admissions rank higher. South Carolina’s ranking at #25 suggests it’s on par with national averages.
Medicare quality: Ranked #37
South Carolina ranks #37 in Medicare quality, a metric that looks at the percentage of Medicare Advantage enrollees enrolled in plans rated 4 stars or higher by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
SC’s overall health care rankings
South Carolina ranks #30 in health care overall.
Within the health care category, South Carolina’s rankings in subcategories of this area are as follows:
Top five states for health care
These are the top five states in overall health care, according to this report:
- #1 Hawaii
- #2 Massachusetts
- #3 Connecticut
- #4 Rhode Island
- #5 New Jersey
How U.S. News & World determines rankings
The Best States rankings assess the performance of the 50 U.S. states using 71 metrics across eight categories.
Rankings across these categories are based on a three-year data analysis from national surveys that asked tens of thousands of people to prioritize various issue areas in their state.
Each state’s performance in one of the eight categories was standardized using a z-score distribution, scaled into a 100-point index, and then averaged. These subcategory scores feed into the overall health care ranking, which then contributes to the state’s overall Best States ranking.
When breaking down the percentage of each category in an overall score, health care accounted for 15.51% of a state’s overall score, the second-largest margin. Education was the largest factor of a state’s overall score, at 15.79%.
For the overall Best States rankings, U.S. News and World Report states that this method was chosen so that the overall rankings would not be skewed by large differences in scores at a metric level.
