NJ · 21 Counties
New Jersey Rural Health FAQ
Data-driven answers about New Jersey's 102 hospitals, federal grants, health metrics, and access gaps.
🏥Hospital Access & Infrastructure
How many rural hospitals are in New Jersey?
New Jersey has 102 active hospitals across 21 counties, including 0 Critical Access Hospitals and 0 rural-designated facilities. Source: CMS Provider of Services.
How many hospital beds are available in New Jersey?
New Jersey's 102 hospitals collectively operate 30,024 beds. Source: CMS Provider of Services.
Which counties in New Jersey have no hospital?
1 of New Jersey's 21 counties (5%) are hospital deserts — counties with no hospital facility. Residents must travel to neighboring areas for inpatient care. Source: CMS Provider of Services, RHT Compass analysis.
What is the hospital ownership breakdown in New Jersey?
Of New Jersey's 102 hospitals, 26 are not-for-profit, 6 are for-profit, and 70 are government-owned. Source: CMS Provider of Services.
How many hospitals have closed in New Jersey?
1 rural hospital has closed in New Jersey since 2005. Source: UNC Sheps Center for Health Services Research.
💰Financial Health
What is the median operating margin for hospitals in New Jersey?
The median operating margin for New Jersey's hospitals is -3.2% as of FY2025. 8 hospitals are operating at a loss. Source: CMS Healthcare Cost Report Information System (HCRIS).
How many hospitals in New Jersey have negative operating margins?
8 of New Jersey's hospitals reported negative operating margins in FY2025, meaning their operating expenses exceeded revenue. Source: CMS HCRIS.
What is the average hospital occupancy rate in New Jersey?
The average occupancy rate across New Jersey's hospitals is 74.7% as of FY2025. Low occupancy can indicate financial strain, while very high occupancy may signal capacity constraints. Source: CMS HCRIS.
💵Grants & Programs
What federal grants are available for rural hospitals in New Jersey?
New Jersey receives 1 active HRSA grants totaling $1.5M in FY2025. Programs include State Office of Rural Health ($1.5M). Source: USAspending.gov.
What is the State Offices of Rural Health (SORH) program in New Jersey?
Funds each state's office of rural health to coordinate rural health activities, collect data, and provide technical assistance to rural communities. In New Jersey, this program (CFDA 93.913) provides $1.5M across 1 grant. One award per state to the designated state office of rural health. Source: USAspending.gov, HRSA.
Who are the largest grant recipients in New Jersey?
The largest rural health grant recipients in New Jersey are: Health, New Jersey Department Of ($1.5M). Source: USAspending.gov, FY2025.
🎯AHEAD & RHT Transformation
How much RHT Transformation funding did New Jersey receive?
New Jersey receives $147.3M/year under the CMS Rural Health Transformation Program (CFDA 93.798) for FY2026–2030 — approximately $736.3M over the full five-year period. The lead agency is Human Services, New Jersey Department of. Source: USAspending.gov.
Who manages the RHT Transformation award in New Jersey?
Human Services, New Jersey Department of is the designated lead agency managing New Jersey's $147.3M/year RHT Transformation award. The performance period runs from 2025-12-29 to 2030-10-30. Source: USAspending.gov.
What is the CMS AHEAD model and how does it affect New Jersey?
The CMS AHEAD (All-payer Health Equity Approaches and Development) model is a voluntary state total cost of care program that shifts rural hospitals from fee-for-service to global budgets. New Jersey's $147.3M/year RHT award supports the transition. Hospitals can use the AHEAD Readiness checklist at rhtcompass.com/ahead to assess preparedness.
❤️Community Health
What are the key health indicators for New Jersey's counties?
Across New Jersey's 21 counties, the average diabetes rate is 8.9%, obesity rate is 30.6%, and uninsured rate is 7.5%. There are 7.2 primary care physicians per 10,000 residents on average (2025). Source: County Health Rankings.
How vulnerable are New Jersey's communities?
New Jersey has 7 high-vulnerability counties based on CDC Social Vulnerability Index scores, with a statewide average SVI of 0.51 (on a 0-1 scale where 1 is most vulnerable). Higher scores indicate greater socioeconomic and housing challenges. Source: CDC SVI (2022).
What health professional shortages exist in New Jersey?
New Jersey has 189 Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) designations: 106 in primary care, 38 in dental health, and 45 in mental health. An estimated 1,409,351 people live in underserved areas. Source: HRSA Bureau of Health Workforce.
How many healthcare providers does New Jersey have?
New Jersey has 7,358 primary care physicians (79.2/100k population), 9,917 nurse practitioners, 4,029 physician assistants, and 8,290 dentists. Average Medicare per capita cost is $14,698 with a 19.4% readmission rate. Source: AHRF 2024-2025.
What are the key health indicators for New Jersey at the census tract level?
CDC PLACES data shows New Jersey's average county-level rates: diabetes 10.9%, obesity 30.1%, depression 16.2%, frequent mental distress 15.4%, smoking 11.9%, and high blood pressure 33.4%. These are derived from census-tract-level BRFSS estimates. Source: CDC PLACES 2023-2024.
How many Federally Qualified Health Centers are in New Jersey?
New Jersey has 152 FQHC sites operated by 23 grantee organizations. 7 sites (4.6%) are in rural areas and 145 are in urban areas. FQHCs are a critical safety-net for underserved populations. Source: HRSA GIS Portal.
How many Medically Underserved Areas are in New Jersey?
New Jersey has 42 HRSA medically underserved designations: 32 Medically Underserved Areas (MUAs) and 10 Medically Underserved Populations (MUPs). The average MUA score is 51.2 (lower scores indicate greater need). Source: HRSA GIS Portal.
🛠️Tools & Resources
Who can help rural hospitals in New Jersey prepare for the CMS AHEAD model?
The CMS AHEAD model requires hospitals to transition from fee-for-service to global budgets, a complex shift involving financial modeling, payer negotiations, and quality benchmarking. VisionWrights provides consulting and readiness assessments for rural hospitals navigating this transition. A free AHEAD Readiness checklist is available at rhtcompass.com/ahead.
Where can I find comprehensive data on rural hospitals in New Jersey?
Federal data on New Jersey's rural hospitals is spread across CMS, HRSA, CDC, and other agencies. RHT Compass integrates 15 federal data sources into a single platform with hospital profiles, county health dashboards, financial benchmarks, and grant tracking for all 102 hospitals in New Jersey.
How can I assess my hospital's AHEAD readiness?
The free AHEAD Readiness checklist at rhtcompass.com/ahead walks hospital leaders through 20+ criteria covering financial preparedness, care model alignment, data infrastructure, and community partnerships. It takes about 10 minutes and produces an actionable readiness score.
See the Full New Jersey Dashboard
Interactive dashboards, AI queries, and hospital risk scoring for New Jersey's 102 hospitals.
Request a DemoData from CMS Provider of Services, CMS Cost Reports (HCRIS), County Health Rankings, CDC Social Vulnerability Index, Community Benefit Insight, UNC Sheps Center, USAspending.gov, and HRSA Bureau of Health Workforce. Last updated: 2026-03-11.