2008 KIDS COUNT Data Book Online >
Summary and Findings
Teen Birth Rate
As Americans, we believe that every child should have a shot at achieving their full potential: getting a good education, securing a job that pays well, and raising a family of their own. But not all children have these opportunities. Teenage childbearing can have long-term negative effects on both the adolescent mother and the newborn. Babies born to teen mothers are at higher risk of being low-birthweight and preterm. They are also far more likely to be born into families with limited educational and economic resources.
Nationally, the Teen Birth Rate fell from 48 births per 1,000 females ages 15 to 19 in 2000 to a record-low 40 births per 1,000 teen females in this age range in 2005. Teen pregnancy rates and teen abortion rates have been falling as well. Although large gaps still exist, the decline in the Teen Birth Rate over this period was reflected among every major racial and ethnic group. It is worth noting, however, that preliminary data for 2006 show the possibility of an increase in the Teen Birth Rate for the first time in a decade.
- In 2005, there were 414,593 babies born to females ages 15 to 19. That averaged to about 1,136 births to teens each day.
- The 2005 rate of 40 births per 1,000 teens represents a drop of 17 percent from 2000. However, the United States still has one of the highest adolescent fertility rates among economically advanced nations.
- Between 2000 and 2005, the Teen Birth Rate decreased in 47 states, was unchanged in South Dakota, and increased only in North Dakota, Wyoming, and the District of Columbia.
- Among the states, the Teen Birth Rate in 2005 ranged from a low of 18 in New Hampshire to a high of 62 in New Mexico and Texas.
