The average American visits the emergency room 34.5 times. From accidents to chronic illnesses, there are 4 ER visits per 10 people each year. Long wait times are expected as there are so many visitors visiting the busiest department in the hospital. But which state has the longest emergency room waiting period?
Diem Healthcare Staffing Platform nursa.com analyzed emergency room visit data from all states to reveal the state on the longest ER wait.
Research highlights:
Waiting time in Florida is 1.3% longer than the US average, at 2 hours and 37 minutes. Americans spend an average of 2 hours and 35 minutes in the emergency department. On average, emergency rooms in Maryland have the longest wait at 4 hours and 11 minutes. North Dakota residents will wait in as little as 1 hour and 50 minutes. West Virginia residents visit emergency rooms most (596 visits per k). Nevada residents visit minimal visitors (226 visits per k).
Florida ranked 29th nationwide for the shortest ER wait time, but the average wait was around 2 hours and 37 minutes. It is 1.3% higher than the national average of 2 hours and 35 minutes. Florida has the 17th ER visit per k, with 455 people leaving the ER before 1% of patients are seen.
Nursa’s previous study, the 2025 Health Recovery Index, reveals the best and worst conditions for recovering from illness, ranking Florida as the fifth worst condition for recovery from illness. It has a supply of 9.07 nurses per k person, a supply of 3.27 doctors per k person, and just 2.46 hospital beds per k person, all contributing to the state of Florida ER weights. Lakeland Regional Medical Center in Lakeland was the second-most visited emergency department in the United States in 2024, with 211,801 visits.
According to nurses, Americans spend an average of 2 hours and 35 minutes in the emergency department. This is less than half the wait time in the UK, with the average study being 5 hours and 18 minutes. The country’s nursing shortage affects the health care system, straining nurses themselves and increasing patient waiting times. Staff shortages have a significant impact on the speed and quality of care from initial triage to bed sales. This is a potential factor that contributes to why 2.5% of Americans leave the ER before leaving.
The main reasons why Americans visit the ER include stomach and abdominal pain, convulsions and convulsions (8.9%), chest pain and related symptoms (5.6%), shortness of breath (4.2%), cough (3.3%), fever (3.3%), headaches and head pain (2.8%).
