America's Best Hospitals

M.D. Anderson ranked No. 1 in latest U.S. News & World Report survey of the besthospitals

M.D. Anderson Cancer Center is ranked No. 1 in the nation for cancer treatmentin the latest U.S. News and World Report survey of Best Hospitals.
Methodist Hospital ranks among the nation's top hospitals in 13 of 16specialties.
St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital ranks No. 4 in the nation in heart and heartsurgery.

The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center remains the nation's No. 1 hospital for cancer treatment, according to the latest U.S. News and World Report survey of America's Best Hospitals.

The 2010-11 rankings, posted on the magazine's Web site Wednesday, named M.D. Anderson the leading cancer hospital in the nation for the seventh time in the last nine years.

The hospital also is ranked in six adult specialities — No. 6 in ear and throat, No. 10 in urology, No. 11 in gynecology, No. 19 in gastroenterology, and No. 21 in diabetes and endocrinology.

And it is No. 12 in pediatric cancer in the 2010-2011 version of Best Children's Hospitals released last month.

U.S. News evaluated nearly 5,000 hospitals to compile its rankings of Best Hospitals and Best Children's Hospitals. The list includes rankings of 152 medical centers nationwide in 16 specialties, including cancer, diabetes and endocrinology, ear, nose, and throat, gastroenterology, geriatrics, gynecology, heart and heart surgery, kidney disorders, neurology and neurosurgery, ophthalmology, orthopedics, psychiatry, pulmonology, rehabilitation, rheumatology, and urology.

No Houston hospital was named to the Honor Roll of the top 14 hospitals overall in the America's Best Hospital survey, based on rankings in a number of specialities and other factors.

But a number of area hospitals showed up well in various specialties, including heart and heart surgery, rehabilitation, opthalmology, kidney disorders and geriatrics.

Among other Houston hospitals:

Methodist Hospital ranked among the nation's top hospitals in 13 of the 16 specialties. It ranked 12th in ophthalmology, 17th in ear, nose, throat, 18th in urology, 20th in gastroenterology, 20th in geriatrics, 24th in kidney, 25th in neurology/neurosurgery, 26th in orthopedics, 27th in pulmonology, 36th in gynecology, 42nd in heart/heart surgery, 44th in diabetes/endocrinology and 45th in cancer.
St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital's Texas Heart Institute ranked fourth in heart and heart surgery. The hospital also ranked 38th in gastroenterology, 39th in urology, 44th in geriatrics, and 45th in kidney disorders.
TIRR Memorial Hermann ranked fifth in rehabilitation.
Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center ranked No. 30 in kidney disorders, No. 38 in gynecology, 46th in heart/heart surgery and 48th in urology. It ranks 30th in pediatric kidney disorders in the Best Children's Hospital rankings.
The Menninger Clinic ranked 5th in psychiatry.

In last month's rankings of children's hospitals, Texas Children's Hospital got high marks in 10 pediatric specialties: heart and heart surgery (3rd in the nation), kidney disorders (4th), gastroenterology (4th), neurology and neurosurgery (4th), pulmonology (4th), cancer (5th), neonatology (7th), urology (9th), diabetes and endocrinology (10th), and orthopedics (12th). Texas Children's was also one of only eight hospitals in the nation to make the Best Children's Hospital Honor Roll.

Such rankings are hotly debated in medical circles, but hospitals feature high rankings prominently in advertisements and marketing brochures.

The full survey of America's Best Hospitals will be featured in the August issue of U.S. News & World Report available on newsstands July 27.

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family values

Houston ranks as 7th most affordable U.S. metro for raising a child

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Raising a child is not an easy or inexpensive feat, but a new study has determined Houston parents have the 7th lowest childrearing costs in the country.

SmartAsset's latest report, "Cost of Raising a Child in Major U.S. Metros – 2026 Study," calculated year-over-year changes in the annual cost of raising a child (factoring in childcare, additional housing costs, food, transportation, medical costs and other necessities) in the 48 largest U.S. metro areas. MIT's Living Wage Calculator was used to compare the living costs of a household with two working adults and one child to that of a childless household with two working adults.

Childrearing costs in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands have grown 3.37 percent since last year, totaling $22,605 for a family of three in 2026. That's only $737 more than what it took to raise a child in 2025, and it's $1,209 higher than what it took in 2024.

This is how SmartAsset broke down the annual cost for raising a child in the Houston area:

Cost of childcare: $10,265
Cost of food: $1,721
Other expenses: $10,619

Houston ranked 42nd in SmartAsset's national list of cities with the highest childrearing costs in 2026, making it the No. 7 most affordable U.S. metro.

San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont in California topped the list with the highest childrearing costs in the U.S., at $43,171. The cost for raising a child in this California metro soared nearly 11 percent higher since last year.

Memphis, Tennessee ranked dead last as the most affordable U.S. metro for raising a child in 2026. Families will spend less than $20,000 to raise a child in Memphis, only 3.24 percent more than what was needed in 2025.

Raising a child in other Texas metros
It may come as no surprise that Austin is the most expensive place to raise a child in Texas, and it appeared as the 31st most expensive U.S. metro for families. Parents will spend nearly $25,000 to raise a child in the state's capital city, which is $703 higher than it was a year ago.

Two other Texas metros join Houston among the top 10 most affordable U.S. metros for raising a family: San Antonio-New Braunfels (No. 3) and Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington (No. 10). Childrearing costs in San Antonio add up to $21,393 annually, and Dallas-Fort Worth parents will spend $23,340 to raise their children in 2026.

The top 10 most affordable U.S. metros for raising a child in 2026 are:

No. 1 – Memphis, Tennessee ($19,922)
No. 2 – Nashville, Davidson-Murfreesboro-Franklin, Tennessee ($21,216)
No. 3 – San Antonio-New Braunfels ($21,393)
No. 4 – Birmingham, Alabama ($21,684)
No. 5 – Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, Virginia ($22,314)
No. 6 – Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, Georgia ($22,470)
No. 7 – Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands ($22,605)
No. 8 – Richmond, Virginia ($22,658)
No. 9 – Louisville/Jefferson County, Kentucky ($23,270)
No. 10 – Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington ($23,340)

family smartasset reports livability houston pasadena the woodlands

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Houston ranks as 7th most affordable U.S. metro for raising a child