NCHS Data Brief ■ No. 204 ■ June 2015

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

National Center for Health Statistics

Three Decades of Nonmarital First Births Among Fathers 

Aged 15–44 in the United States

Gladys M. Martinez, Ph.D. 

Key findings

Data from the National 

Survey of Family Growth

● The percentage of fathers 

aged 15–44 whose first births 

were nonmarital was lower in 

the 2000s (36%) than in the 

previous 2 decades.

● Fathers with first births in the 

2000s were more likely to be in 

a nonmarital cohabiting union 

(24%) than those in the 1980s 

(19%).

● The percentage of fathers 

with a nonmarital first birth 

over the past 3 decades has 

remained similar for Hispanic 

and non-Hispanic white men, 

but has declined for nonHispanic black men (1980s, 

77%; 2000s, 66%).

● Fathers with nonmarital 

first births in the 2000s were 

less likely to be non-Hispanic 

black men (21%) than Hispanic 

(33%) or non-Hispanic white 

(39%) men.

● Fathers with nonmarital first 

births in the 2000s were more 

likely to be older at the time of 

the birth (33%) than those in 

the previous 2 decades.

Nonmarital childbearing in the United States increased from the 1940s to 

the 1990s, peaked in 2007–2008, and declined in 2013 (1–3). In 2013, the 

nonmarital birth rate was 44.8 births per 1,000 unmarried women aged 15–44. 

Using data from the National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG), this study 

examines nonmarital first births reported by fathers aged 15–44. This report 

presents trends in nonmarital first births by father’s age at birth and Hispanic 

origin and race. Given increases in births occurring in cohabiting unions 

(2,4,5), first births within cohabitation are also examined.

Keywords: nonmarital birth • cohabitation • National Survey of Family 

Growth 

What percentage of fathers had a nonmarital first birth, and 

what percentage were within a cohabiting union? 

● Among men with first births fathered in the 1980s, 42% were nonmarital 

(Figure 1). By the 2000s, the percentage that was nonmarital declined to 36%. 

Figure 1. Percentage of fathers whose first birth was nonmarital, and percentage whose first birth 

was within a cohabiting union 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db204_table.pdf#1 
NCHS Data Brief ■ No. 204 ■ June 2015

● About one-quarter of fathers with first births in the 2000s had them within a cohabiting 

union. 

● Fathers with first births in the 2000s were more likely to have them within a cohabiting 

union (24%) than those in the 1980s (19%). 

Are there differences by race and ethnicity in the percentage of fathers 

whose first births were nonmarital? 

● Over the past 3 decades, about one-half of Hispanic fathers had first births that were 

nonmarital (52%–54%), and about one-third were within a cohabiting union (29%–38%) 

(Figure 2). 

● Among non-Hispanic white fathers, about one-quarter had a nonmarital first birth. This 

percentage has declined from 31% to 24% over the past 3 decades, but the differences are 

not statistically significant. In addition, about one of every five first births among nonHispanic white fathers in the 2000s occurred within a cohabiting union. This percentage has 

remained similar in the past 3 decades (16%–18%).

● The percentage of non-Hispanic black fathers with nonmarital first births declined from 77% 

in the 1980s to 66% in the 2000s; the percentage of non-Hispanic black fathers with first 

births that occurred within cohabiting unions was similar over the past 3 decades (23%–

32%). 

 

 

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db204_table.pdf#2 

Figure 2. Percentage of fathers whose first birth was nonmarital, and percentage whose first birth was within a cohabiting 

union, by Hispanic origin and race 

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NCHS Data Brief ■ No. 204 ■ June 2015

Are there differences by age in the percentage of fathers whose first births 

were nonmarital? 

● Teen fathers (under age 20) in the 1990s and 2000s were more likely to have a nonmarital 

first birth than those in the 1980s (Figure 3). About one-half of teen fathers in the 2000s 

had their first birth within a cohabiting union (49%), an increase from the 1980s (27%) and 

1990s (33%). 

● Fathers aged 20–24 were more likely to have a nonmarital first birth in the 2000s (60%) than 

those in the 1990s (51%) or 1980s (42%). In the 1980s, a smaller percentage of these fathers 

had a first birth within a cohabiting union (21%) compared with the 1990s (32%) and the 

2000s (38%). 

● Among fathers who had their first births at ages 25–44, the percentage who had nonmarital 

first births did not differ significantly in the past 3 decades. But the percentage of these 

fathers who had a first birth within a cohabiting union increased in the 1990s (13%) and 

2000s (15%) compared with those in the 1980s (5%).

Figure 3. Percentage of fathers whose first birth was nonmarital, and percentage whose first birth was within a cohabiting 

union, by age at first birth

 

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db204_table.pdf#3 

 

 

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NCHS Data Brief ■ No. 204 ■ June 2015

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Has the Hispanic origin and race distribution of fathers having a nonmarital 

first birth changed over the past 3 decades? 

● About 33% of nonmarital first births were fathered by Hispanic men in the 2000s, an 

increase from 24% in the 1980s (Figure 4). Between 38% and 39% of nonmarital first births 

were fathered by non-Hispanic white men in each decade. 

● The percentage of nonmarital births fathered by non-Hispanic black men declined over time 

(from 29% to 21%), while the percentage fathered by Hispanic men increased (from 24% to 

33%).

● In the 1980s and 1990s, the percentage of nonmarital first births was highest for births 

fathered by non-Hispanic white men. 

Figure 4. Percent distribution by race and ethnicity among fathers with nonmarital first births

 

 

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db204_table.pdf#4 

 

 

 
NCHS Data Brief ■ No. 204 ■ June 2015

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Has the age distribution of fathers having a nonmarital first birth changed 

over the past 3 decades? 

● About 4 of 10 fathers with nonmarital first births in the 1980s (42%) were younger than age 

20 (Figure 5). The percentage of nonmarital first births to teen fathers declined in the 1990s 

(29%) and the 2000s (23%).

● Mirroring a delay in childbearing overall (4), the percentage of nonmarital first births 

fathered by men aged 25–44 increased over time. In the 1980s, 8% of nonmarital first births 

were fathered by men aged 25–44. This percentage increased in the 1990s (24%) and again 

in the 2000s (33%).

● The percentage of nonmarital first births fathered by men in their early 20s (ages 20–24) 

was lower in the 2000s (43%) than in the 1980s (51%). 

Figure 5. Percent distribution of father’s age at nonmarital first birth

 

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db204_table.pdf#5 

 

 
NCHS Data Brief ■ No. 204 ■ June 2015

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Summary

This report highlights data on nonmarital first births fathered by men aged 15–44 at the time of 

interview. Using pooled data from the 2002, 2006–2010, and 2011–2013 NSFG, results for 

3 decades were estimated based on retrospective information on the date of the father’s first 

birth. Results from this study indicate that in the 2000s, the percentage of fathers with nonmarital 

first births declined. However, the percentage of fathers whose nonmarital first births occurred 

within a cohabiting union increased. This pattern differs from that for the mother. Data for 

women showed that the share of all births that occured to unmarried women has doubled between 

1988 and 2009–2013, and that the increase was driven by an increase in the share of births to 

cohabiting women (4).

The percentage of fathers with nonmarital first births decreased over time for non-Hispanic black 

fathers but remained unchanged for non-Hispanic white and Hispanic fathers. The percentage of 

first births occurring in cohabiting unions remained the same for non-Hispanic white, Hispanic, 

and non-Hispanic black fathers in the past 3 decades. However, the percentage of first births 

occurring within a cohabiting union was greater for women than for men, regardless of Hispanic 

origin and race (5). The proportion of teen births that occurred within a nonmarital union 

increased in the past 2 decades. Nonetheless, in contrast with the decline in the teen birth rate 

among women (3), the percentage of teen fathers with nonmarital first births increased. 

Because information on fathers’ births collected from women often contains missing data, and 

women of reproductive ages (15–44) do not necessarily have children with men of their age, it is 

important to look at trends in nonmarital births from the perspective of the men fathering these 

births. In addition, data on marital and cohabiting status at the first birth provide information on 

the transition to parenthood, which may influence subsequent fertility-related behavior (6). 

Definitions

Nonmarital birth: A birth fathered by a man before he ever married, regardless of whether he later 

marries. 

Cohabiting union: Men who report in the survey that they are unmarried but “having sexual 

relationships while sharing the same usual address” with the mother of their child.

Births fathered: Refers to the man being the biological father of the child.

Percentage of nonmarital births: The numerator of this percentage is the number of men who had 

a nonmarital first birth in a specific decade; the denominator is the number of men aged 15–44 

who ever had a child. 

Percentage of births within cohabiting union: The numerator of this percentage is the number 

of men who had a nonmarital first birth within a cohabiting union in a specific decade; the 

denominator is the number of men aged 15–44 who ever had a child. 

Father’s age: For this analysis, fathers were aged 15–44 at the time of the 2002, 2006–2010, 

or 2011–2013 interview. In Figures 3 and 5, the father’s age is based on his age at the time he 

fathered his first birth.
NCHS Data Brief ■ No. 204 ■ June 2015

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Hispanic origin and race: The recode variable HISPRACE2 is used for Hispanic origin and race. 

This recode, based on 1997 Office of Management and Budget (OMB) guidelines (7), allows 

respondents to report more than one race or ethnic origin. In this report, the categories Hispanic, 

non-Hispanic white single race, and non-Hispanic black single race are presented. For ease of 

writing, non-Hispanic white single race is referred to as non-Hispanic white, and non-Hispanic 

black single race is referred to as non-Hispanic black. 

Data source and methods

Pooled data from the 2002, 2006–2010, and 2011–2013 NSFG were used for these analyses. 

NSFG is a nationally representative survey of the U.S. household population, with face-toface interviews conducted with women and men aged 15–44 (8). The pooled data consisted of 

20,146 men aged 15–44 (4,928 interviewed in 2002, 10,403 interviewed in 2006–2010, and 

4,815 interviewed in 2011–2013). All estimates in this report were weighted to reflect the male 

household population aged 15–44 of the United States in 2002 and at the midpoints of 2006–2010 

interviews (July 2008) and 2011–2013 interviews (July 2012). More information on NSFG is 

available from: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nsfg.htm. Statistics for this report, including sampling 

errors, were produced using the survey analysis procedures in SAS software version 9.3. 

Percentages were compared using two-tailed t tests at the 5% level. The difference between any 

two estimates is mentioned in the text only if it is statistically significant. In addition, a weighted 

least squares regression method was used to test the significance of trends that involved more 

than two time points. Terms such as “similar” or “no significant differences” indicate that the 

estimates being compared are not significantly different. This report presents descriptive statistics 

and bivariate associations of nonmarital first births and father’s cohabiting status with Hispanic 

origin and race, which may be explained by other factors not controlled in the analysis. 

About the author

Gladys M. Martinez is with CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics, Division of Vital 

Statistics, Reproductive Statistics Branch. 

References

1. Ventura SJ, Bachrach CA. Nonmarital childbearing in the United States, 1940–99. National 

vital statistics reports; vol 48 no 16. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2000. 

2. Curtin SC, Ventura SJ, Martinez GM. Recent declines in nonmarital childbearing in the 

United States. NCHS data brief, no 162. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 

2014.

3. Martin JA, Hamilton BE, Osterman MJK, et al. Births: Final data for 2013. National vital 

statistics reports; vol 64 no 1. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2015.

4. Manning WD, Brown SL, Stykes B. Trends in births to single and cohabiting mothers, 

1980–2013. National Center for Family & Marriage Research, FP–15–03. Bowling Green, 

Ohio: Bowling Green State University. 2015. Available from: https://www.bgsu.edu/content/

dam/BGSU/college-of-arts-and-sciences/NCFMR/documents/FP/FP-15-03-birth-trends-singlecohabiting-moms.pdf.
NCHS Data Brief ■ No. 204 ■ June 2015

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For more NCHS Data Briefs, visit:

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5. Martinez G, Daniels K, Chandra A. Fertility of men and women aged 

15–44 years in the United States: National Survey of Family Growth, 2006–

2010. National health statistics reports; no 51. Hyattsville, MD: National 

Center for Health Statistics. 2012.

6. Cherlin AJ. New developments in the study of nonmarital childbearing. 

In: Wu LL, Wolfe B, editors. Out of wedlock: Causes and consequences of 

nonmarital fertility. New York, NY: Russell Sage Foundation; p 390–402. 

2001.

7. OMB. Revisions to the standards for the classification of federal data 

on race and ethnicity. Fed Regist 62(210):58782–90. 1997. Available from: 

http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/fedreg_1997standards/.

8. Lepkowski JM, Mosher WD, Groves RM, et al. Responsive design, 

weighting, and variance estimation in the 2006–2010 National Survey of 

Family Growth. National Center for Health Statistics. Vital Health Stat 

2(158). 2013.

Suggested citation

Martinez GM. Three decades of nonmarital 

first births among fathers aged 15–44 in the 

United States. NCHS data brief, no 204. 

Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health 

Statistics. 2015.

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

Charles J. Rothwell, M.S., M.B.A., Director

Nathaniel Schenker, Ph.D., Deputy Director

Jennifer H. Madans, Ph.D., Associate 

Director for Science

Division of Vital Statistics

Delton Atkinson, M.P.H., M.P.H., P.M.P., 

Director

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