The national supply of community hospital beds per 1,000 population steadily increased from the 1940s, reaching a peak of 4.6 beds per 1,000 population in 1975. By 1991, the number of beds had dropped to 3.6 per 1,000 population and remained at that level in 1992 and 1993. Among the 9 census regions, the area experiencing the largest increase has been the East South Central, where beds increased from 1.7 per 1,000 population in 1940 to 5.1 in 1980, falling back to 4.5 in 1993 (see table C- 19).
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Beds per 1,000 civilian population Average annual percent change
Geographic division and State ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1940 \1\ 1950 \1\ 1960 \2\ 1970 1980 1990 1992 1993 1940-60 \1\ \2\ 1960-70 \2\ 1970-80 1980-90 1990-93
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United States........................................... 3.2 3.3 3.6 4.3 4.5 3.8 3.6 3.6 0.6 1.8 0.5 -1.7 -1.8
New England............................................. 4.4 4.2 3.9 4.1 4.1 3.4 3.3 3.3 -0.6 0.5 0.0 -1.9 -1.0
Maine................................................. 3.0 3.2 3.4 4.7 4.7 3.8 3.7 3.6 0.6 3.3 0.0 -2.1 -1.8
New Hampshire......................................... 4.2 4.2 4.4 4.0 3.9 3.1 3.1 3.0 0.2 -0.9 -0.3 -2.3 -1.1
Vermont............................................... 3.3 4.0 4.5 4.5 4.4 3.1 2.9 3.4 1.6 0.0 -0.2 -3.4 3.1
Massachusetts......................................... 5.1 4.8 4.2 4.4 4.4 3.6 3.6 3.5 -1.0 0.5 0.0 -2.0 -0.9
Rhode Island.......................................... 3.9 3.8 3.7 4.0 3.8 3.2 3.1 3.0 -0.3 0.8 -0.5 -1.7 -2.1
Connecticut........................................... 3.7 3.6 3.4 3.4 3.5 2.9 2.8 2.8 -0.4 0.0 0.3 -1.9 -1.2
Middle Atlantic......................................... 3.9 3.8 4.0 4.4 4.6 4.2 4.2 4.3 0.1 1.0 0.4 -0.9 0.8
New York.............................................. 4.3 4.1 4.3 4.6 4.5 4.2 4.2 4.3 0.0 0.7 -0.2 -0.7 0.8
New Jersey............................................ 3.5 3.2 3.1 3.6 4.2 3.7 4.0 3.9 -0.6 1.5 1.6 -1.3 1.8
Pennsylvania.......................................... 3.5 3.8 4.1 4.7 4.8 4.4 4.3 4.4 0.8 1.4 0.2 -0.9 0.0
East North Central...................................... 3.2 3.2 3.6 4.4 4.7 3.9 3.7 3.6 0.6 2.0 0.7 -1.8 -2.6
Ohio.................................................. 2.7 2.9 3.4 4.2 4.7 4.0 3.8 3.7 1.2 2.1 1.1 -1.8 -2.6
Indiana............................................... 2.3 2.6 3.1 4.0 4.5 3.9 3.8 3.7 1.5 2.6 1.2 -1.4 -1.7
Illinois.............................................. 3.4 3.6 4.0 4.7 6.1 4.0 3.9 3.8 0.8 1.6 0.8 -2.4 -1.7
Michigan.............................................. 4.0 3.3 3.3 4.3 4.4 3.7 3.4 3.3 -1.0 2.7 0.2 -1.7 -3.7
Wisconsin............................................. 3.4 3.7 4.3 5.2 4.9 3.8 3.7 3.5 1.2 1.9 -0.8 -2.5 -2.7
West North Central...................................... 3.1 3.7 4.3 6.7 6.8 4.9 4.8 4.7 1.6 2.9 0.2 -1.7 -1.4
Minnesota............................................. 3.9 4.4 4.8 6.1 5.7 4.4 4.2 4.1 1.0 2.4 -0.7 -2.6 -2.3
Iowa.................................................. 2.7 3.2 3.9 5.6 5.7 5.1 5.0 4.8 1.9 3.7 0.2 -1.1 -2.0
Missouri.............................................. 2.9 3.3 3.9 5.1 5.7 4.8 4.7 4.6 1.5 2.7 1.1 -1.7 -1.4
North Dakota.......................................... 3.5 4.3 5.2 6.8 7.4 7.0 7.0 7.0 2.0 2.7 0.8 -0.6 0.0
South Dakota.......................................... 2.8 4.4 4.5 5.6 5.5 6.1 6.1 6.0 2.4 2.2 -0.2 1.0 -0.5
Nebraska.............................................. 3.4 4.2 4.4 6.2 6.0 5.4 5.3 5.2 1.3 3.5 -0.3 -1.0 -1.3
Kansas................................................ 2.8 3.4 4.2 5.4 5.8 4.8 4.7 4.6 2.0 2.5 0.7 -1.9 -1.4
South Atlantic.......................................... 2.5 2.8 3.3 4.0 4.5 3.7 3.6 3.5 1.4 1.9 1.2 -1.9 -1.8
Delaware.............................................. 4.4 3.9 3.7 3.7 3.6 3.0 3.1 3.1 -0.9 0.0 -0.3 -1.8 1.1
Maryland.............................................. 3.9 3.6 3.3 3.1 3.6 2.9 2.7 2.6 -0.8 -0.6 1.5 -2.1 -3.6
District of Columbia.................................. 5.5 5.5 5.9 7.4 7.3 7.5 7.6 7.3 0.4 2.3 -0.1 0.3 -0.9
Virginia.............................................. 2.2 2.5 3.0 3.7 4.1 3.3 3.2 3.1 1.6 2.1 1.0 -2.1 -2.1
West Virginia......................................... 2.7 3.1 4.1 5.4 5.5 4.7 4.6 4.7 2.1 2.8 0.2 -1.6 0.0
North Carolina........................................ 2.2 2.6 3.4 3.8 4.2 3.4 3.4 3.3 2.2 1.1 1.0 -2.1 -1.0
South Carolina........................................ 1.8 2.4 2.9 3.7 3.9 3.3 3.2 3.2 2.4 2.5 0.5 -1.7 -1.0
Georgia............................................... 1.7 2.0 2.8 3.8 4.6 4.0 3.9 3.9 2.5 3.1 1.9 -1.4 -0.8
Florida............................................... 2.8 2.9 3.1 4.4 5.1 4.0 3.8 3.8 0.5 3.6 1.5 -2.4 -1.7
East South Central...................................... 1.7 2.1 3.0 4.4 5.1 4.8 4.6 4.5 2.9 3.9 1.5 -0.6 -2.1
Kentucky.............................................. 1.8 2.2 3.0 4.0 4.5 4.4 4.3 4.2 2.6 2.9 1.2 -0.2 -1.5
Tennessee............................................. 1.9 2.3 3.4 4.7 5.5 4.9 4.7 4.5 3.0 3.3 1.6 -1.1 -2.8
Alabama............................................... 1.5 2.0 2.8 4.3 5.1 4.6 4.5 4.5 3.2 4.4 1.7 -1.0 -0.7
Mississippi........................................... 1.4 1.7 2.9 4.4 5.3 5.3 4.9 4.9 3.7 4.3 1.9 0.0 -2.8
West South Central...................................... 2.1 2.7 3.3 4.3 4.7 3.9 3.7 3.8 2.3 2.7 0.9 -1.8 -2.6
Arkansas.............................................. 1.4 1.6 2.9 4.2 5.0 4.7 4.7 4.5 3.7 3.6 1.8 -0.6 -1.4
Louisiana............................................. 3.1 3.8 3.9 4.2 4.8 4.6 4.5 4.5 1.2 0.7 1.3 -0.4 -0.7
Oklahoma.............................................. 1.9 2.5 3.2 4.5 4.6 4.0 3.8 3.7 2.6 3.5 0.2 -1.4 -2.6
Texas................................................. 2.0 2.7 3.3 4.3 4.7 3.5 3.4 3.3 2.5 2.7 0.9 -2.9 -1.9
Mountain................................................ 3.6 3.8 3.5 4.3 3.8 3.1 2.9 2.9 -0.1 2.1 -1.2 -2.0 -2.2
Montana............................................... 4.9 5.3 5.1 5.8 5.9 5.8 5.3 5.1 0.2 1.3 0.2 -0.2 -4.2
Idaho................................................. 2.6 3.4 3.2 4.0 3.7 3.2 3.2 3.1 1.0 2.3 -0.8 -1.4 -1.1
Wyoming............................................... 3.5 3.9 4.6 5.5 3.6 4.9 4.8 4.8 1.4 1.8 -4.1 3.1 0.7
Colorado.............................................. 3.9 4.2 3.8 4.6 4.2 3.2 2.9 2.9 -0.1 1.9 -0.9 -2.7 -3.2
New Mexico............................................ 2.7 2.2 2.9 3.5 3.1 2.9 2.7 2.6 0.4 1.9 -1.2 -0.7 -3.6
Arizona............................................... 3.4 4.0 3.0 4.1 3.6 2.7 2.5 2.5 -0.6 3.2 1.3 -2.8 -2.5
Utah.................................................. 3.2 2.9 2.8 3.6 3.1 2.6 2.4 2.4 -0.7 2.5 -1.5 -1.7 -2.6
Nevada................................................ 5.0 4.4 3.9 4.2 4.2 2.9 2.7 2.7 -1.2 0.7 0.0 -3.6 -2.4
Pacific................................................. 4.1 3.2 3.1 3.7 3.5 2.7 2.6 2.5 -1.4 1.8 -0.6 -2.6 -2.5
Washington............................................ 3.4 3.6 3.3 3.5 3.1 2.5 2.4 2.3 -0.1 0.6 -1.2 -2.1 -2.7
Oregon................................................ 3.5 3.1 3.5 4.0 3.5 2.9 2.6 2.5 0.0 1.3 -1.3 -1.9 -4.8
California............................................ 4.4 3.3 3.0 3.8 3.6 2.7 2.6 2.5 -1.9 2.4 -0.5 -2.8 -2.5
Alaska................................................ ........ ........ 2.4 2.3 2.7 2.3 2.3 2.2 ............... -0.4 1.6 -1.6 -1.5
Hawaii................................................ ........ ........ 3.7 3.4 3.1 2.8 2.7 2.7 ............... -0.8 -0.9 -1.0 -1.2
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\1\ 1940 and 1950 data are estimated based on published figures.
\2\ 1960 includes hospital units of institutions.
Source: U.S. Public Health Service (1996).