U.S. Projected To Reach 85% Hospital Bed Occupancy Rate By 2032, Indicating Shortage

By 2032, the United States is projected to have a hospital bed occupancy rate of 85% due to increased demand for hospital care by adults age 65 and older. The 85% occupancy threshold is thought to constitute a hospital bed shortage. To avoid a hospital bed shortage caused by the aging-associated increase in hospitalizations over the next decade, the number of staffed beds would need to increase by 10% or the hospitalization rate would need to decline by 10%.

The risk of a hospital bed shortage was developed by analyzing hospital bed staffing and occupancy rates from August 2020 . . .