ER Wait Times in Washington: 75 Hospitals Compared
75 hospitals in Washington report how long their emergency room patients stay. The middle value here is 167 minutes; national (Medicare): 162 minutes.
What this time means
Each hospital’s number is Medicare measure OP-18b: the median (middle) time from arriving at the emergency room to leaving it, for patients who were treated and went home. Half of these patients left sooner, half later. It is not the time before seeing a doctor, and it leaves out patients who were admitted to the hospital, transferred, or seen for mental health.
Medicare’s name for the measure: “Average (median) time patients spent in the emergency department before leaving from the visit, excluding patients transferred to another facility or psychiatric care/mental health patients. A lower number of minutes is better”. Patients seen October 2024 to September 2025.
Emergency rooms in Washington, shortest time first
Ranked by Medicare's median time (OP-18b), shortest first; hospitals with the same time share a rank. Left without being seen: share of ER patients who left before a doctor or nurse saw them (January 2024 to December 2024; national 2%). ER volume: patients per year, as Medicare groups it.
| # | Hospital | City | Median time in the ER | Left without being seen | ER volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Garfield County Public Hospital District #1 | Pomeroy | 82 min (1 h 22 min)† | Not reported | — |
| 2 | Odessa Memorial Healthcare Center | Odessa | 95 min (1 h 35 min) | Not reported | — |
| 3 | PeaceHealth Peace Island Medical Center | Friday Harbor | 101 min (1 h 41 min) | 1% | Low (under 20,000) |
| 4 | Klickitat Valley Hospital | Goldendale | 104 min (1 h 44 min) | Not reported | — |
| 5 | Dayton General Hospital | Dayton | 105 min (1 h 45 min) | 1% | Low (under 20,000) |
| 6 | Arbor Health Morton Hospital | Morton | 110 min (1 h 50 min) | 2% | Low (under 20,000) |
| 7 | Coulee Medical Center | Grand Coulee | 112 min (1 h 52 min) | Not reported | — |
| 7 | Prosser Memorial Hospital | Prosser | 112 min (1 h 52 min) | 2% | Medium (20,000–39,999) |
| 9 | Lake Chelan Community Hospital | Chelan | 114 min (1 h 54 min) | 1% | Low (under 20,000) |
| 10 | Pullman Regional Hospital | Pullman | 115 min (1 h 55 min)† | 1% | Low (under 20,000) |
| 11 | Lourdes Medical Center | Pasco | 117 min (1 h 57 min) | 2% | Medium (20,000–39,999) |
| 12 | Providence St Joseph Hospital | Chewelah | 120 min (2 h) | 1% | Low (under 20,000) |
| 13 | Ocean Beach Hospital | Ilwaco | 121 min (2 h 1 min) | 1% | Low (under 20,000) |
| 13 | Snoqualmie Valley Hospital | Snoqualmie | 121 min (2 h 1 min) | 0% | Low (under 20,000) |
| 15 | Astria Sunnyside Hospital | Sunnyside | 122 min (2 h 2 min) | 1% | Low (under 20,000) |
| 15 | Kittitas Valley Community Hospital | Ellensburg | 122 min (2 h 2 min) | 1% | Low (under 20,000) |
| 17 | North Valley Hospital | Tonasket | 127 min (2 h 7 min) | 1% | Low (under 20,000) |
| 18 | Willapa Harbor Hospital | South Bend | 130 min (2 h 10 min) | 3% | Low (under 20,000) |
| 19 | Columbia Basin Hospital | Ephrata | 132 min (2 h 12 min) | 3% | Low (under 20,000) |
| 20 | Multicare Good Samaritan Hospital | Puyallup | 133 min (2 h 13 min) | 1% | Very high (60,000 or more) |
| 21 | Providence St Mary Medical Center | Walla Walla | 134 min (2 h 14 min) | 2% | Medium (20,000–39,999) |
| 22 | Samaritan Hospital | Moses Lake | 135 min (2 h 15 min) | 2% | Medium (20,000–39,999) |
| 23 | Forks Community Hospital | Forks | 136 min (2 h 16 min) | 1% | Low (under 20,000) |
| 24 | Jefferson Healthcare | Port Townsend | 139 min (2 h 19 min) | 1% | Low (under 20,000) |
| 25 | Capital Medical Center | Olympia | 140 min (2 h 20 min) | 0% | High (40,000–59,999) |
| 26 | Swedish Issaquah | Issaquah | 141 min (2 h 21 min) | 1% | Medium (20,000–39,999) |
| 27 | PeaceHealth United General Medical Center | Sedro Woolley | 142 min (2 h 22 min) | 1% | Low (under 20,000) |
| 28 | Confluence Health Hospital | Wenatchee | 143 min (2 h 23 min) | 2% | High (40,000–59,999) |
| 28 | Tri-State Memorial Hospital | Clarkston | 143 min (2 h 23 min)† | 1% | Low (under 20,000) |
| 30 | Swedish Medical Center | Seattle | 144 min (2 h 24 min) | 3% | Very high (60,000 or more) |
| 31 | Astria Toppenish Hospital | Toppenish | 150 min (2 h 30 min) | 3% | Low (under 20,000) |
| 31 | Providence Mount Carmel Hospital | Colville | 150 min (2 h 30 min) | 1% | Low (under 20,000) |
| 33 | Whitman Hospital and Medical Center | Colfax | 156 min (2 h 36 min)† | 0% | Low (under 20,000) |
| 34 | Summit Pacific Medical Center | Elma | 158 min (2 h 38 min) | 2% | Low (under 20,000) |
| 35 | St Clare Hospital | Lakewood | 161 min (2 h 41 min) | 1% | Medium (20,000–39,999) |
| 35 | Yakima Valley Memorial | Yakima | 161 min (2 h 41 min) | 5% | High (40,000–59,999) |
| 37 | Evergreenhealth Monroe | Monroe | 166 min (2 h 46 min) | 2% | Medium (20,000–39,999) |
| 38 | Kadlec Regional Medical Center | Richland | 167 min (2 h 47 min) | 6% | Very high (60,000 or more) |
| 38 | Trios Health | Kennewick | 167 min (2 h 47 min) | 5% | Medium (20,000–39,999) |
| 40 | Cascade Valley Hospital | Arlington | 171 min (2 h 51 min) | 3% | Medium (20,000–39,999) |
| 41 | Overlake Hospital Medical Center & Clinics | Bellevue | 176 min (2 h 56 min) | 0% | High (40,000–59,999) |
| 42 | Multicare Covington Medical Center | Covington | 177 min (2 h 57 min) | 1% | Medium (20,000–39,999) |
| 43 | Madigan AMC (FT Lewis) | Joint Base Lewis-Mcchord | 179 min (2 h 59 min) | 3% | High (40,000–59,999) |
| 44 | Deaconess Medical Center | Spokane | 180 min (3 h) | 2% | Very high (60,000 or more) |
| 45 | Swedish Medical Center / Cherry Hill | Seattle | 186 min (3 h 6 min) | 2% | Medium (20,000–39,999) |
| 46 | Swedish Edmonds Hospital | Edmonds | 187 min (3 h 7 min) | 2% | High (40,000–59,999) |
| 47 | Skagit Valley Hospital | Mount Vernon | 188 min (3 h 8 min) | 2% | Medium (20,000–39,999) |
| 48 | Multicare Valley Hospital | Spokane Valley | 190 min (3 h 10 min) | 4% | High (40,000–59,999) |
| 49 | St Elizabeth Hospital | Enumclaw | 193 min (3 h 13 min) | 2% | Low (under 20,000) |
| 50 | Evergreenhealth Medical Center | Kirkland | 196 min (3 h 16 min) | 4% | High (40,000–59,999) |
| 50 | Providence Centralia Hospital | Centralia | 196 min (3 h 16 min) | 5% | Medium (20,000–39,999) |
| 52 | Valley Medical Center | Renton | 199 min (3 h 19 min) | 5% | Very high (60,000 or more) |
| 53 | Mason General Hospital & Family of Clinics | Shelton | 200 min (3 h 20 min) | 6% | Low (under 20,000) |
| 53 | St Anthony Hospital | Gig Harbor | 200 min (3 h 20 min) | 1% | High (40,000–59,999) |
| 55 | Mid Valley Hospital & Clinic | Omak | 202 min (3 h 22 min) | Not reported | — |
| 55 | St Francis Community Hospital | Federal Way | 202 min (3 h 22 min) | 1% | High (40,000–59,999) |
| 57 | Island Hospital | Anacortes | 204 min (3 h 24 min) | 3% | Low (under 20,000) |
| 58 | St Michael Medical Center | Silverdale | 205 min (3 h 25 min) | 4% | Very high (60,000 or more) |
| 59 | Virginia Mason Medical Center | Seattle | 206 min (3 h 26 min) | 3% | Medium (20,000–39,999) |
| 60 | Providence Holy Family Hospital | Spokane | 208 min (3 h 28 min) | 9% | High (40,000–59,999) |
| 60 | Tacoma General Allenmore Hospital | Tacoma | 208 min (3 h 28 min) | 2% | Very high (60,000 or more) |
| 62 | PeaceHealth St Joseph Medical Center | Bellingham | 210 min (3 h 30 min) | 3% | Very high (60,000 or more) |
| 63 | St Joseph Medical Center | Tacoma | 211 min (3 h 31 min) | 1% | High (40,000–59,999) |
| 64 | Providence St Peter Hospital | Olympia | 212 min (3 h 32 min) | 1% | High (40,000–59,999) |
| 65 | PeaceHealth St John Medical Center | Longview | 214 min (3 h 34 min) | 2% | High (40,000–59,999) |
| 66 | Grays Harbor Community Hospital | Aberdeen | 216 min (3 h 36 min) | 2% | Medium (20,000–39,999) |
| 66 | Prov Sacred HRT Med Ctr & Childs Hosp. | Spokane | 216 min (3 h 36 min) | 6% | Very high (60,000 or more) |
| 68 | Multicare Auburn Medical Center | Auburn | 217 min (3 h 37 min) | 3% | High (40,000–59,999) |
| 69 | Highline Medical Center | Burien | 235 min (3 h 55 min) | 4% | High (40,000–59,999) |
| 70 | Providence Regional Medical Center Everett | Everett | 246 min (4 h 6 min) | 3% | Very high (60,000 or more) |
| 71 | Olympic Medical Center | Port Angeles | 251 min (4 h 11 min) | 1% | Medium (20,000–39,999) |
| 72 | Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center | Vancouver | 260 min (4 h 20 min) | 1% | Very high (60,000 or more) |
| 73 | University of Washington Medical Ctr | Seattle | 266 min (4 h 26 min) | 4% | Very high (60,000 or more) |
| 74 | PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Cente | Vancouver | 275 min (4 h 35 min) | 3% | Very high (60,000 or more) |
| 75 | Harborview Medical Center | Seattle | 299 min (4 h 59 min) | 7% | Very high (60,000 or more) |
† Medicare footnote 3: the result is based on a shorter period than required.
ER wait times by city in Washington
Common questions
Which ER in Washington has the shortest wait?
In Medicare's data for October 2024 to September 2025, Garfield County Public Hospital District #1 had the shortest median time patients spent in the emergency room before going home: 82 minutes. This is the total time of the visit, not the time before seeing a doctor, and it is an average of past patients, not a promise for your visit.
What is the average ER wait time in Washington?
The middle value of the 75 hospitals listed here is 167 minutes. The national figure published by Medicare is 162 minutes. Each hospital's number is the median time from arriving at the emergency room to leaving it, for patients who were treated and went home.
Should I drive to a farther ER to wait less?
No. In an emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. These times are past averages; emergency rooms see the sickest patients first, and minutes lost on the road can matter more than minutes in a waiting room.
Does a shorter time mean a better emergency room?
Not by itself. Busier emergency rooms and hospitals that treat more serious cases usually have longer times, so the ER volume is shown next to each time. The time is one measure among many on each hospital’s page.
Sources and dates
- Timely and Effective Care - Hospital — Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), data updated July 22, 2026, retrieved October 31, 2026. Times: patients seen October 2024 to September 2025; left without being seen: January 2024 to December 2024.
- Timely and Effective Care - National — CMS, data updated July 22, 2026 (the national figures).
Only open hospitals that list an emergency room and report this time are included. The state and city figures are the median of the hospitals listed, calculated by us from the same CMS hospital file. Wording last revised November 11, 2026. Not medical advice.