OBJECTIVES: Even with increasing attention given to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), limited data exist documenting PTSD-related economic burden. This study documents annual rates of PTSD-related hospitalizations in the US (2000-2010), along with associated costs and length of stay [LOS]. METHODS: Adult (18+ years old) PTSD-related hospitalizations (those with an ICD-9-CM diagnosis code of 309.81 [primary or secondary]) from the 2000 through 2010 HCUP Nationwide Inpatient Samples (NIS) were analyzed. Annual rates of PTSD hospitalization per 100,000 adults (adjusted to 2010 US population) were estimated using NIS sampling weights and US Census population denominators. Additionally, cost (in 2013 $) and LOS estimates were calculated. RESULTS: Rates of hospitalizations with a primary diagnosis of PTSD have increased over time, from 2.5/100,000 adults (5,139 hospitalizations) in 2000 to 4.1/100,000 (9,175 hospitalizations) in 2010, a 61.6% increase, and by over 200% for hospitalizations with any diagnosis of PTSD, from 28.6/100,000 to 87.7/100,000. For hospitalizations with PTSD as the primary diagnosis, the mean (standard deviation [SD]) LOS increased slightly, from 5.7 (7.6) days in 2000 to 6.0 (6.9) days in 2010, while mean (SD) costs increased by 23.2%, from $5,138 ($6,440) in 2000 to $6,330 ($7,281) in 2010. Finally, from 2000 to 2010, the estimated total (aggregate) cost of PTSD-related hospitalizations increased by 129% ($26.3 million to $60.3 million) for primary PTSD diagnosis hospitalizations and 471% ($435 million to $2.49 billion) for any PTSD diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: PTSD-related hospitalization rates in the US have increased during the first decade of the 2000s, with the total inpatient cost burden increasing at an even greater rate. Further research to better understand factors which may be influencing the observed growth in rates of PTSD-related hospitalization in the US (e.g., changing diagnostic criteria; increasing numbers of servicemen and women returning from military combat settings, which is an established PTSD risk factor) is warranted.