Emergency Room Visit Costs Price History
1990–2025 · HCUP / AHRQ
The average charge for an emergency room visit in the United States, tracked from 1990 to 2025. Emergency rooms are the most expensive front door in American healthcare, and millions of people walk through them every year — often because they have no better option. The average ER visit charge has exploded from $285 in 1990 to nearly $2,960 in 2025, a tenfold increase that reflects both the genuine complexity of emergency medicine and a billing system that seems designed to maximize revenue rather than transparency.
Price in 1990
$285.00
Price in 2025
$2,960.00
Total Change
+938.6%
Years Tracked
35
Emergency Room Visit Costs Over Time
Compare to inflation: The chart above shows nominal (not inflation-adjusted) prices. Use the toggle to switch to inflation-adjusted values when available, or try the inflation calculator to convert any amount between years.
Key Insights
- ER visit costs have grown at roughly 7% per year since 1990, far outpacing both general inflation and even most other healthcare categories. The average charge crossed $1,000 in 2008, $2,000 in 2018, and is approaching $3,000 in 2025 — a pace that shows no sign of slowing.
- The gap between what ERs charge and what people expected to pay has become a major source of medical debt. Surprise billing was rampant for years, with out-of-network ER doctors sending balance bills that patients never saw coming. The No Surprises Act of 2022 has helped, but facility fees remain enormous.
- COVID-19 pushed average ER charges up sharply in 2020 and 2021, not because volume increased but because the patients who did come in were sicker and required more resources. Many people with minor issues avoided the ER entirely during the pandemic, skewing the average higher.
- About 40% of ER visits are for conditions that could have been treated at an urgent care clinic or doctor's office at a fraction of the cost. But when you are scared and it is 2 AM, the ER is often the only option — and hospitals know that, which gives them enormous pricing power.
Year-by-Year Data
| Year | Price (USD per visit) | YoY Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | $285.00 | — |
| 1991 | $310.00 | +8.8% |
| 1992 | $338.00 | +9.0% |
| 1993 | $365.00 | +8.0% |
| 1994 | $390.00 | +6.8% |
| 1995 | $415.00 | +6.4% |
| 1996 | $440.00 | +6.0% |
| 1997 | $465.00 | +5.7% |
| 1998 | $490.00 | +5.4% |
| 1999 | $520.00 | +6.1% |
| 2000 | $560.00 | +7.7% |
| 2001 | $610.00 | +8.9% |
| 2002 | $665.00 | +9.0% |
| 2003 | $720.00 | +8.3% |
| 2004 | $780.00 | +8.3% |
| 2005 | $840.00 | +7.7% |
| 2006 | $910.00 | +8.3% |
| 2007 | $985.00 | +8.2% |
| 2008 | $1,065.00 | +8.1% |
| 2009 | $1,120.00 | +5.2% |
| 2010 | $1,175.00 | +4.9% |
| 2011 | $1,250.00 | +6.4% |
| 2012 | $1,340.00 | +7.2% |
| 2013 | $1,430.00 | +6.7% |
| 2014 | $1,530.00 | +7.0% |
| 2015 | $1,635.00 | +6.9% |
| 2016 | $1,750.00 | +7.0% |
| 2017 | $1,870.00 | +6.9% |
| 2018 | $2,000.00 | +7.0% |
| 2019 | $2,135.00 | +6.8% |
| 2020 | $2,300.00 | +7.7% |
| 2021 | $2,425.00 | +5.4% |
| 2022 | $2,570.00 | +6.0% |
| 2023 | $2,720.00 | +5.8% |
| 2024 | $2,850.00 | +4.8% |
| 2025 | $2,960.00 | +3.9% |
Sources & Methodology
Average charge per emergency department visit from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) Nationwide Emergency Department Sample, maintained by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Charges represent what hospitals bill for ER services and include facility fees, but not physician fees billed separately. Actual payments received are typically lower due to insurance negotiations and uncompensated care.
Primary source: HCUP / AHRQ
For a full explanation of how we collect and adjust data, see our methodology page.