Minnesota's Top-Ranked Hospitals: A Closer Look At 5-Star Care

Here in Minnesota, we might be known for our lakes, but when it comes to top-notch healthcare, we're making just as big a splash. The latest Forbes ranking shows that only a select few hospitals here have earned the highest possible honor, with a dozen Minnesota facilities making the list.

That's right, when it comes to top-tier medical care, not every hospital makes the cut here in the North Star State. In Forbes’ latest rankings, only 12 hospitals across Minnesota earned a coveted 5-star rating, putting them in an elite group for patient care and performance.

Which just goes to show that when it comes to quality healthcare, we're fortunate to live in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, where we have relatively close access to some of the best care not just in our state, but in the country —and the world.

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Minnesota Hospitals Rank Among the Best in the World

It was in February that Newsweek ranked Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, at the top of its listing of the World's Best Hospitals for the eighth year in a row. Mayo Clinic is also regarded as not only the top here in the U.S. but across the globe, as Newsweek says its rankings covered 2400 hospitals in 30 nations and highlighted the top 25 hospitals throughout the world.

Mayo Clinic's Gonda Building in Rochester, MN. (Curt St. John/Townsquare Media)

How Many Hospitals Are in Minnesota? The Numbers May Surprise You

And that's saying something, especially when you consider just *how* many hospitals and health care systems are located here in Minnesota. The Minnesota Hospital Association notes that there are currently 141 medical facilities operating here in the Bold North, employing over 127,000 Minnesotans.

But only 12 of them just received a 5-star rating in the latest Forbes Top Hospitals survey. Which facilities in Minnesota just took the top honor?

To come up with its 2026 Top Hospitals list, Forbes says their team 'enlisted healthcare measurement experts, including an advisory panel—comprised of clinicians, scientists, health policy researchers, and patient advocates—and partnered with Inovalon, a healthcare data and analytics firm, to calculate the ratings,' it noted.