2007 KIDS COUNT Data Book Online >
Summary and Findings
Teen Birth Rate
Teenage childbearing can have long-term negative effects on both the adolescent mother and the newborn. The consequence of starting out life as the child of a teen mother can be illustrated by the following stark comparison. The poverty rate for children born to teenage mothers who have never married and who did not graduate from high school is 78 percent. On the other hand, the poverty rate for children born to women over age 20 who are currently married and did graduate from high school is 9 percent.
Nationally, the Teen Birth Rate fell from 48 births per 1,000 females ages 15 to 19 in 2000 to a record-low 41 births per 1,000 teen females in this age range in 2004. This decline was reflected among every major racial and ethnic group. It is worth noting that teen pregnancy rates and teen abortion rates have been falling as well.
- In 2004, there were 415,262 babies born to females ages 15 to 19. That averaged to about 1,135 births to teens each day.
- The 2004 rate of 41 births per 1,000 teens represents a drop of 15 percent from 2000. However, the United States still has one of the highest adolescent fertility rates among economically advanced nations.
- Between 2000 and 2004, the Teen Birth Rate decreased in 47 states, was unchanged in 2 states (North Dakota and South Dakota), and increased only in Wyoming and the District of Columbia.
- Among the states, the Teen Birth Rate in 2004 ranged from a low of 18 in New Hampshire to a high of 63 in Texas.
- The Teen Birth Rate among Latinos (83 births per 1,000 females ages 15 to 19) is more than twice the national average (41 births per 1,000 females ages 15 to 19).
