Published on
Alan Ayers, MBA, MAcc
Keywords: urgent care; ambulatory care facilities; joint venture; organizational affiliation
The nation’s total urgent care center count reached 14,655 as of April 1, 2026, based on data provided by National Urgent Care Realty and Urgent Care Consultants.
Of these, 6,056 locations (41.3%) are operated by a Top 100 entity. Hospital affiliations within the Top 100 remain the dominant model, with 55.9% of Top 100 locations participating in a health system relationship.
A hospital affiliation may include majority or minority equity joint ventures, management-only contracts, clinical network integration, branding or cobranding agreements, or other engagement that is marketed to the public. To avoid duplication, affiliated centers are reported under the private entity, separate from centers operated by the health system directly.
Because there are several ties in the rankings—multiple operators with an equal number of locations—the total number of operators in the 2026 Urgent Care Top 100 is 105.
Read Past Year’s Top 100
- 2025 Urgent Care’s Top 100 – By Number of Locations
- 2024 Urgent Care’s Top 100 by Number of Locations
- Urgent Care’s Top 100—by Number of Locations
