NCHS Data Brief ■ No. 58 ■ February 2011

u.s. department of health and human services

centers for disease control and prevention

national center for health statistics

U.S. Teenage Birth Rate Resumes Decline

Stephanie J. Ventura, M.A., and Brady E. Hamilton, Ph.D.

Key findings

Data from the Natality 

Data File, National Vital 

Statistics System

•	 The teenage birth rate 

declined 8 percent in the 

United States from 2007 

through 2009, reaching a 

historic low at 39.1 births per 

1,000 teens aged 15–19 years.

•	 Rates fell significantly for

teenagers in all age groups 

and for all racial and ethnic 

groups.

•	 Teenage birth rates for 

each age group and for nearly 

all race and Hispanic origin 

groups in 2009 were at the 

lowest levels ever reported in 

the United States.

•	 Birth rates for teens aged 

15–17 dropped in 31 states 

from 2007 through 2009; rates 

for older teenagers aged 18–19 

declined significantly in 45

states during this period.

Teenage childbearing has been the subject of long-standing concern among 

the public and policy makers. Teenagers who give birth are much more likely 

to deliver a low birthweight or preterm infant than older women (1,2), and 

their babies are at elevated risk of dying in infancy (3). The annual public 

costs associated with teen childbearing have been estimated at $9.1 billion (4).

The U.S. teen birth rate fell by more than one-third from 1991 through 2005, 

but then increased by 5 percent over two consecutive years. Data for 2008 and 

2009, however, indicate that the long-term downward trend has resumed (1,5). 

Although the recent declines have been widespread by age, race and ethnicity, 

and state, large disparities nevertheless persist in these characteristics (6,7). 

The most current data available from the National Vital Statistics System are 

used to illustrate trends and variations through 2009.

Keywords: birth, teenage birth rates, race and Hispanic origin, state rates

The birth rate for U.S. teenagers fell in 2009 to the lowest 

level ever reported.

•	 The U.S. birth rate for teenagers in 2009 was the lowest it has ever 

been in the nearly 70 years for which national data are available (1,5,8) 

(Figure 1). The rate was 39.1 births per 1,000 females aged 15–19 years, 

NOTES: Data for 2009 are preliminary. Data table for Figure 1 is available from: 

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db58_tables.pdf#1.

SOURCE: CDC/NCHS, National Vital Statistics System.

Figure 1. Number of births and birth rate for teenagers aged 15–19: United States, 1940–2009 Number of births (in thousands) Rate per 1,000 women aged 15–19 

Number of births

Birth rate

0

200

400

600

800

1,000

0

20

40

60

80

100

 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2009
NCHS Data Brief ■ No. 58 ■ February 2011

■  2  ■

37 percent below the 1991 rate (61.8), the most recent peak (8).

•	 The teenage birth rate in 2009 was 59 percent lower than the historic high reached in 1957 

(96.3) (8).

•	 The number of births to teenagers aged 15–19 in 2009 fell to 409,840, the fewest since 1946

and 36 percent fewer than in 1970 (644,708), the historic high point.

Recent declines in teenage birth rates have occurred for younger and older 

teenagers.

•	 The birth rate for young teenagers aged 15–17 fell 7 percent in 2009 from 2008, the largest 

single-year drop since 2000–2001 (1,8) (Figure 2). The 2009 rate (20.1 per 1,000), a historic 

low, was 48 percent lower than in 1991 (38.6 per 1,000).

•	 The birth rate for older teenagers aged 18–19 fell 6 percent from 2008 through 2009, the 

largest single-year decline since 1971–1972 (1,5,8). The 2009 rate, also a historic low at 

66.2 per 1,000, was 30 percent lower than in 1991 (94.0).

•	 Births and birth rates for the youngest teenagers, under age 15, have also declined over the 

last half-century (see Table). The 2009 birth rate for females aged 10–14 was 0.5 births

per 1,000, the lowest ever reported and two-thirds lower than in 1990 (1.4). Moreover, the

number of babies born to this age group has fallen to the fewest in nearly 60 years, to 5,030 

in 2009.

NOTES: Data for 2009 are preliminary. Data table for Figure 2 is available from: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db58_tables.pdf#2.

SOURCE: CDC/NCHS, National Vital Statistics System.

Figure 2. Birth rates for teenagers, by age: United States, 1960–2009 Rate per 1,000 women in specified age group

0

25

50

75

100

125

150

175

18–19

15–17

15–19

1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2009
NCHS Data Brief ■ No. 58 ■ February 2011

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Birth rates for teenagers aged 15–17 have fallen since 1991 for all racial and 

ethnic groups.

•	 Birth rates for white and black non-Hispanic teenagers and Asian or Pacific Islander (API)

teenagers aged 15–17 dropped 53 percent to 63 percent from 1991 through 2009 (Figure 3).

•	 Although the birth rate for Hispanic teenagers declined more slowly overall from 1991 

through 2009, the decline in the rate from 2008 to 2009 (41.0 per 1,000) was the largest of

all race and ethnicity groups (by 11 percent).

•	 Further, the rate for Hispanic teenagers in 2009 was the lowest ever recorded in the 2 

decades for which rates are available for this group (1,5).

1

American Indian or Alaska Native. 2

Asian or Pacific Islander.

NOTES: Data for 2009 are preliminary. Data table for Figure 3 is available from: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db58_tables.pdf#3.

SOURCE: CDC/NCHS, National Vital Statistics System.

Figure 3. Birth rates for teenagers aged 15–17, by race and Hispanic origin: United States, 1991, 2005, 2007, and 2009 Rates per 1,000 women aged 15–17 in specified group

0

20

40

60

80

100

API Non-Hispanic Hispanic AIAN1 2

black

Non-Hispanic 

white 

All races

38.6

21.4 22.1 20.1

23.6

11.5 11.8 11.0

86.1

69.2

51.9

16.3

8.2 8.2 7.1

30.531.8 30.6

48.5 47.9

41.0

34.9 35.8

32.1

1991 2005 2007 2009
NCHS Data Brief ■ No. 58 ■ February 2011

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Birth rates for teenagers aged 18–19 fell in 2009 for all racial and 

ethnic groups.

•	 Birth rates overall and by race and ethnicity are consistently higher for ages 18–19 than for 

ages 15–17. Although the downward trend for both age groups has been similar, long-term 

declines were smaller for older teenagers.

•	 From 1991 through 2009, rates for all racial and ethnic groups for ages 18–19 dropped by 27 

percent to 40 percent. Single-year declines for all groups from 2008 to 2009 ranged from 5

percent to 10 percent (5) (Figure 4).

•	 Birth rates in 2009 for non-Hispanic white (46.1 per 1,000), non-Hispanic black (97.5), and

API teenagers (25.7) were the lowest ever reported for these groups. Similarly, the 2009 rate

for Hispanic teenagers aged 18–19 was a record low (114.0).

Figure 4. Birth rates for teenagers aged 18–19, by race and Hispanic origin: United States, 1991, 2005, 2007, and 2009

1

American Indian or Alaska Native. 2

Asian or Pacific Islander.

NOTES: Data for 2009 are preliminary. Data table for Figure 4 is available from: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db58_tables.pdf#4.

SOURCE: CDC/NCHS, National Vital Statistics System. Rates per 1,000 women aged 18–19 in specified group

0

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

API Non-Hispanic Hispanic AIAN1 2

black

Non-Hispanic 

white

All races

94.0

69.9 73.9

66.2 70.6

48.0 50.4 46.1

162.2

155.5

134.2

42.2

30.1 29.9 25.7

87.6

101.6

90.5

134.6137.2

114.0

103.0

109.3

97.5

1991 2005 2007 2009
NCHS Data Brief ■ No. 58 ■ February 2011

■  5  ■

Birth rates for young teenagers aged 15–17 declined in 31 states during 

2007–2009.

•	 Birth rates for teenagers aged 15–17 fell significantly in most areas of the country from

2007 through 2009, the most recent period of decline for teen birth rates (Figure 5).

•	 The largest declines were in the intermountain West and southeast areas of the United States. 

The decline in rates ranged from 5 percent for Ohio and Indiana to 20 percent for Arizona.

•	 The rate increased significantly for only one state from 2007 through 2009, West Virginia,

by 17 percent.

NOTES: Data for 2009 are preliminary. Data table for Figure 5 is available from: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db58_tables.pdf#5.

SOURCE: CDC/NCHS, National Vital Statistics System.

Figure 5. Change in birth rate for women aged 15–17, by state: United States, 2007 and 2009

AK

HI

DC

RI

NJ

DE

MD

MA

MS

LA

UT

CA

AZ NM

TX

GA

FL

ID

OR

MT

SD

ND

SC

NV

AL

IA

MN

WI

ME

CT

NE

VA

OH

PA

IL

MI

WA

KS

CO

IN

KY

WV

NC TN

VT

AR OK

NY

MO

WY

NH

U.S. teen birth rate for ages 

15–17 was 22.1 per 1,000

in 2007 and 20.1 in 2009.

10 largest significant decreases

Decreased significantly

No significant difference

Increased significantly

Birth rates for older teenagers aged 18–19 fell in 45 states from 2007 

through 2009.

•	 Birth rates fell for ages 18–19 from 2007 through 2009 in the majority of states 

(Figure 6). The largest declines were reported for the intermountain West and northern 

New England states.

•	 The range of decline was from 5 percent for New York, Louisiana, and New Mexico to

27 percent for New Hampshire and Vermont.
NCHS Data Brief ■ No. 58 ■ February 2011

■  6  ■

NOTES: Data for 2009 are preliminary. Data table for Figure 6 is available from: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db58_tables.pdf#5.

SOURCE: CDC/NCHS, National Vital Statistics System.

Figure 6. Change in birth rate for women aged 18–19, by state: United States, 2007 and 2009

AK

HI

DC

RI

NJ

DE

MD

MA

MS

LA

UT

CA

AZ NM

TX

GA

FL

ID

OR

MT

SD

ND

SC

NV

AL

IA

MN

WI

ME

CT

NE

VA

OH

PA

IL

MI

WA

KS

CO

IN

KY

WV

NC TN

VT

AR OK

NY

MO

WY

NH

U.S. teen birth rate for ages 

18–19 was 73.9 per 1,000 

in 2007 and 66.2 in 2009.

10 largest significant decreases

Decreased significantly

No significant difference

Summary

The U.S. teenage birth rate reached a historic low in 2009, at 39.1 births per 1,000 women 

aged 15–19. While the U.S. teenage birth rate fell 37 percent from 1991 through 2009, it still 

remains the highest among industrialized countries (9). Rates in the United States fell from 2007

through 2009 by age subgroup, race and Hispanic origin, and state. The recent trend marks a 

resumption of the long-term decline in teenage childbearing that started in 1991. Previous studies 

have suggested that these declines reflected the impact of strong teenage pregnancy prevention

messages that accompanied a variety of public and private efforts to focus teenagers’ attention 

on the importance of avoiding pregnancy (10–12). Data from several cycles of the National 

Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 

National Center for Health Statistics (CDC/NCHS) showed that teen sexual activity declined or

leveled off in the 1990s through the mid-2000s, and that contraceptive use increased or stabilized

(13). Data from the 2006–2010 NSFG, forthcoming in 2011, may be helpful in identifying the 

factors associated with the declines in teenage birth rates.

Definition

Teenage birth rate: The number of births to women aged 15–19 (or teenage subgroup) per 1,000 

women aged 15–19 (or teenage subgroup).

Data sources and methods

This report contains data from the Natality Data File, National Vital Statistics System. The 

vital statistics natality file includes information for all births occurring in the United States.

The natality files, which cover a wide range of maternal and infant demographic and health
NCHS Data Brief ■ No. 58 ■ February 2011

■  7  ■

characteristics, are available from the NCHS website: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data_access/

VitalStatsOnline.htm. Data may also be accessed using the interactive data access tool VitalStats, 

available from: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/VitalStats.htm. 

State-specific birth rates for teenagers for 2009 are based on preliminary birth data. Information

on the 2009 data is available elsewhere (5). Population data for computing birth rates were 

provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. Rates by state shown here may differ from rates computed 

on the basis of other population estimates (1,14). A forthcoming report will focus on recent

changes in birth rates for older women (15).

About the authors

Stephanie J. Ventura and Brady E. Hamilton are with CDC/NCHS, Division of Vital Statistics, 

Reproductive Statistics Branch. Elizabeth Wilson, also with the Reproductive Statistics Branch,

provided table and figure verification.

References

1. Martin JA, Hamilton BE, Sutton PD, et al. Births: Final data for 2008. National vital statistics

reports; vol 59 no 1. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2010.

2. Martin JA, Osterman MJK, Sutton PD. Are preterm births on the decline in the United States?

Recent data from the National Vital Statistics System. NCHS data brief, no 39. Hyattsville, MD:

National Center for Health Statistics. 2010.

3. Mathews TJ, MacDorman MF. Infant mortality statistics from the 2006 period linked birth/

infant death data set. National vital statistics reports; vol 58 no 17. Hyattsville, MD: National

Center for Health Statistics. 2010.

4.	 Hoffman SD. By the numbers: The public costs of teen childbearing. Washington, DC: The 

National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. 2006. 

5. Hamilton BE, Martin JA, Ventura SJ. Births: Preliminary data for 2009. National vital

statistics reports; vol 59 no 3. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2010.

6. Mathews TJ, Sutton PD, Hamilton BE, Ventura SJ. State disparities in teenage birth rates in

the United States. NCHS data brief, no 46. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics.

2010.

7. Ventura SJ, Mathews TJ, Hamilton BE, et al. Adolescent pregnancy and childbirth—United

States, 1991–2008. In: CDC health disparities and inequalities report—United States, 2011.

MMWR 60(Suppl):105–8. 2011. Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/pdf/other/SU6001.pdf.

8. Ventura SJ, Mathews TJ, Hamilton BE. Births to teenagers in the United States, 1940–2000.

National vital statistics reports; vol 49 no 10. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health

Statistics. 2001.

9. United Nations Statistics Division. Demographic yearbook 2008. New York, NY: United 

Nations. 2009. Available from: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/dyb/dyb2008.htm.
NCHS Data Brief ■ No. 58 ■ February 2011

10. National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. National 

data. Washington, DC: National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. 

Available from: http://www.thenationalcampaign.org/national-data/default.

aspx. Accessed November 28, 2010.

11. Kirby D. Emerging answers 2007: Research findings on programs to

reduce teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Washington, DC:

National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. 2007.

12. Oringanje C, Meremikwu MM, Eko H, Esu E, Meremikwu A, Ehiri JE.

Interventions for preventing unintended pregnancies among adolescents.

Cochrane Database Syst Rev (4):CD005215. 2009.

13. Abma JC, Martinez GM, Copen CE. Teenagers in the United States:

Sexual activity, contraceptive use, and childbearing, National Survey of

Family Growth 2006–2008. National Center for Health Statistics. Vital 

Health Stat 23(30). 2010.

14.	Hamilton BE, Sutton PD, Ventura SJ. Revised birth and fertility rates for 

the 1990s and new rates for Hispanic populations, 2000 and 2001: United 

States. National vital statistics reports; vol 51 no 12. Hyattsville, MD:

National Center for Health Statistics. 2003.

15. Sutton PD, Hamilton BE, Mathews TJ. Recent declines in births in the

United States, 2007–2009. NCHS data brief. Hyattsville, MD: National

Center for Health Statistics. Forthcoming. 2011.

Suggested citation

Ventura SJ, Hamilton BE. U.S. teenage birth 

rate resumes decline. NCHS data brief, no 

58. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for

Health Statistics. 2011.

Copyright information

All material appearing in this report is in 

the public domain and may be reproduced 

or copied without permission; citation as to 

source, however, is appreciated.

National Center for Health 

Statistics

Edward J. Sondik, Ph.D., Director

Jennifer H. Madans, Ph.D., Associate 

 Director for Science

Division of Vital Statistics

Charles J. Rothwell, M.S., Director

U.S. Department of

Health & Human Services

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

National Center for Health Statistics

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