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Download the article PDF: Size And Ownership Of U S Urgent Care Center 2026
As of July 1, 2026, there were 14,495 urgent care centers in the United States, according to National Urgent Care Realty data. The charts above break down that footprint by the number of locations per operator, affiliation with a hospital or health system, private equity investment, and participation in a health system/private equity joint venture.
From the data:
- 56% of urgent care centers are operated by groups of 10 or more locations, up from 54% in September 2024. Another 11% belong to operators with 5–9 locations and 16% to operators with 2 to 4 locations.
- 17% of urgent care centers are single-unit operations, down from 18%. The number of single-unit centers fell to 2,427 even as the national total grew, so independents are leaving the market faster than new ones open.
- 41% of urgent care centers are affiliated with a hospital or health system, up from 39%. Health systems added roughly 400 centers over the period, more than the 250 centers the market gained on net.
- 18% of urgent care centers have received private equity investment, up from 17%, led by the growth of hospital-private equity joint ventures.
- 866 centers, or 14% of the hospital-affiliated total, operate as a joint venture between a health system and a private equity partner. Those centers sit in both the health system and private equity counts and account for 6% of all urgent care centers.
- The national count grew by 250 centers, or 1.8%, over 22 months. Ownership changed more over that period than the number of centers did.
Size and Ownership of U.S. Urgent Care Centers, 2026
