In 2010 there were 34.3 births among every thousand girls between the ages of 15 and 19. That’s down 9 percent from 2009. And it’s the lowest number in nearly seven decades of reporting.
The figure comes from a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention called Births: Preliminary Data for 2010. [Brady E. Hamilton, Joyce A. Martin and Stephanie J. Ventura] And it’s filled with interesting stats. For one, teen births have hit that record low. And that statistic includes more good news – birth rates are at record lows for all ethnic and racial groups, and even for younger teenagers.
The number of births to unmarried moms also declined. And pre-term births declined. The trend towards lower numbers is general - the birth rate fell overall by 3 percent. It’s also down for women in their twenties and thirties.
The one place where there was a rise? Births to women in their early forties. That figure rose slightly, from 10 births per thousand women to 10.2. Which is the highest rate since 1967. The data include nearly every recorded birth in all 50 states, DC, and the U.S. territories. To access the report, just go to http://snipurl.com/2010births
—Cynthia Graber
