NRFC Quick Statistics 2017

Fathers and Fertility

Contents

Table 1. Father's Age at First Child's Birth by Educational Attainment, 2013 ........................................................................ 1

Table 2. Father's Age at First Child's Birth by Race/Ethnicity, 2013....................................................................................... 2

Table 3. Birth Rates by Age of Father, 1980-2015 ................................................................................................................. 3

Table 4. Total Births Occurring Between 2006 and 2015 by Father's Education Level ......................................................... 4

Table 5. Total Births Occurring Between 2006 and 2015 by Father's Income ....................................................................... 4

Table 6. Total Births Occurring Between 2006 and 2015 by Father's Marital or Cohabitating Status ................................... 5

Table 7. Prevalence of Multiple-Partner Fertility by Age, 2013............................................................................................... 5

Table 8. Prevalence of Multiple-Partner Fertility by Marital Status, 2013............................................................................... 6

Table 9. Prevalence of Multiple-Partner Fertility by Race/Ethnicity, 2013.............................................................................. 6

Table 10. Number of Children Fathered by Men’s Age, 2013 ................................................................................................ 7

Table 11. Number of Children Fathered by Education Level, 2013........................................................................................ 7

Table 12. Number of Children Fathered by Marital or Cohabitating Status, 2013.................................................................. 8

Table 13. Number of Children Fathered by Race/Ethnicity, 2013 .......................................................................................... 8

Table 14. Number and Percent of Fathers by Age and Marital and Cohabitating Status at First Birth, 2013 ........................ 9

Table 15. Number and Percent of Fathers by Income and Marital and Cohabitating Status at First Birth, 2013................... 9

Table 16. Number and Percent of Fathers with a Nonmarital First Birth by Race/Ethnicity and Cohabitating Status, 2013 10
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Fathers and Fertility1

1 Significant (p < .05) findings are discussed in the bulleted text below each table.

Table 1. Father's Age at First Child's Birth by Educational Attainment, 2013

Education

Number of Fathers 

(1000s) Average Age

Less Than 20 

Years

20-24 

Years

25-29 

Years

30-44 

Years

All*

*Education statistics are limited to men aged 22-44, the “All” category includes men aged 15-21 as well.

26,661 25.5 13.8% 32.4% 30.7% 23.1%

No High School Diploma or GED 4,559 22.9 23.1% 46.8% 22.1% 8.0%

High School Diploma or GED 8,158 24.1 18.0% 41.8% 26.6% 13.6%

Some College, No Bachelor's Degree 6,834 25.6 10.1% 32.9% 37.5% 19.5%

Bachelor's Degree or Higher 6,570 29.7 1.1% 10.8% 37.0% 51.1%

Source: The National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG). National Center for Health Statistics. 2011-2015.

Note: Data are weighted. When weighted, the 2011-2015 wave of the NSFG is representative of men ages 15-44 in 2013.

• The average age of fathers at the birth of their first child is significantly higher for fathers with higher education levels

than with lower education levels.

• In 2013, fathers with no high school diploma or GED had their first child, on average, 6.8 years earlier than fathers with a 

bachelor’s degree or higher.

Fathers with a high school diploma/GED or less were significantly more likely than fathers who had some college or a 

bachelor’s degree or more to have had their first child before age 20.

• In 2013, about half (46.8 percent) of fathers with no high school diploma or GED had their first child between 20 and 24 

years of age while about half (51.1 percent) of those with a bachelor’s degree or higher had their first child between 30 

and 44 years of age.
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Table 2. Father's Age at First Child's Birth by Race/Ethnicity, 2013

Race/Ethnicity

Number of Fathers 

(1000s) Average Age

Less Than 20 

Years

20-24 

Years

25-29 

Years

30-44 

Years

All*

*Includes men of other or multiple races and origin groups, not shown separately.

26,661 25.5 13.8% 32.4% 30.7% 23.1%

Hispanic or Latino 6,432 24.3 16.4% 41.1% 26.7% 15.7%

Non-Hispanic White 14,506 26.3 10.1% 28.6% 34.5% 26.7%

Non-Hispanic Black 3,396 23.8 22.8% 37.6% 25.0% 14.6%

Source: The National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG). National Center for Health Statistics. 2011-2015.

Note: Data are weighted. When weighted, the 2011-2015 wave of the NSFG is representative of men ages 15-44 in 2013.

• In 2013, Hispanic2 and non-Hispanic black fathers were significantly younger at their first child’s birth than non-Hispanic 

white fathers. On average, Hispanic fathers reported having their first child two years earlier than non-Hispanic white 

fathers and non-Hispanic black fathers reported having their first child’s birth two and a half years earlier than nonHispanic white fathers.

2 “Hispanic” and “Latino” are used interchangeably in this brief.

• Nearly one in four non-Hispanic black fathers had their first child as a teenager (22.8 percent), a significantly higher 

proportion than the one in six (16.4 percent) of Hispanic fathers and one in ten (10.1 percent) of non-Hispanic white 

fathers.

• Hispanic fathers and non-Hispanic black fathers most commonly had their first child between the ages of 20 and 24 (41.1 

and 37.6 percent, respectively), while non-Hispanic white fathers most commonly had their first child between the ages 

of 25 and 29 (34.5 percent).
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Table 3. Birth Rates by Age of Father, 1980-2015

Year

Age of Father 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015

15-54 Years1

1

Rates computed by relating total births, regardless of age of father, to men aged 15-54 years.

57.0 55.6 58.4 51.0 50.0 49.3 46.8 46.1

15-19 Years2

2

Rates computed by relating total births of fathers under 20 years of age to men aged 15-19 years.

18.8 18.0 23.5 23.9 19.8 16.4 16.1 10.4

20-24 Years 92.0 81.2 88.0 83.9 82.1 72.7 64.6 51.6

25-29 Years 123.1 112.3 116.4 103.2 106.5 109.4 97.1 87.4

30-34 Years 91.0 91.1 97.8 90.7 99.5 105.9 103.6 103.8

35-39 Years 42.8 47.3 53.0 50.4 56.3 63.4 63.4 69.1

40-44 Years 17.1 18.1 21.0 20.3 22.2 24.5 25.9 28.6

45-49 Years 6.1 6.6 7.5 7.0 7.3 7.9 8.2 9.6

50-54 Years 2.2 2.5 2.8 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.6 2.9

55 Years and Over 0.3 0.4 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.3 0.4

Source: Table 17. Birth rates, by age and race of father: United States, 1980–2015-Con. in Martin JA, Hamilton BE, Osterman MJK, 

et al. Births: Final Data for 2015. National Vital Statistics Reports; Vol 66 No. 1. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health 

Statistics. 2017.

Note: Rates are live births per 1,000 men in specified group.

• Since 1990, the birth rate for men aged 15-54 years has been declining. The observed birth rate in 2015 was 46.1 live 

births per 1,000 men, about a 12 percent decrease from the 1990 birth rate of 58.4 live births per 1,000 men.

• Since 1990, birth rates for men aged 30-54 years have, overall, been increasing while birth rates for men aged 15-29 years 

have been declining. 

• Between 1980 and 2005 the highest birth rate was for men aged 25-29 years; since 2010 the highest birth rate has been 

for men aged 30-34 years.

• The birth rate for teenage men aged 15-19 was nearly 24 live births per 1,000 men in 1995. By 2015, their birth rate was 

less than half that at 10.4 live births per 1,000 men.
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Table 4. Total Births Occurring Between 2006 and 2015 by Father's Education Level

Education Level Number of Births (1000s) % Total

Total*

*Education information is limited to men aged 20-44, “Total" includes men aged 15-19 as well.

13,965

No High School Diploma or GED 2,363 16.9%

High School Diploma or GED 4,145 29.7%

Some College, No Bachelor's Degree 3,553 25.4%

Bachelor's Degree or Higher 3,904 28.0%

Source: The National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG). National Center for Health Statistics. 2011-2015.

Note: Data are weighted. When weighted, the 2011-2015 wave of the NSFG is representative of men ages 15-44 in 2013.

• Most births that occurred between 2006 and 2015 were to fathers with a high school diploma/GED or higher (83.1 

percent).

• Fathers with no high school diploma/GED had the lowest reported birth rate (16.9 percent).

Table 5. Total Births Occurring Between 2006 and 2015 by Father's Income

Percent of Poverty Level Number of Births (1000s) % Total

Total*

*Income information is limited to men aged 20-44, "Total" includes men aged 15-19 as well. 

13,965

0-149 Percent 4,402 31.5%

150-299 Percent 4,175 29.9%

300 Percent or Higher 5,388 38.6%

Source: The National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG). National Center for Health Statistics. 2011-2015.

Note: Data are weighted. When weighted, the 2011-2015 wave of the NSFG is representative of men ages 15-44 in 2013.

• Between 2006 and 2015, the majority of births (61 percent) were to fathers whose income was less than 300 

percent of the poverty level, which equated to an income of less than $72,750 for a family of four in 2015.3

3 http://ccf.georgetown.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/2015-Federal-Poverty-Guidelines.pdf
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Table 6. Total Births Occurring Between 2006 and 2015 by Father's Marital or Cohabitating 

Status

Marital or Cohabitating Status Number of Births (1000s) % Total

Total 14,149

Married to Child's Mother 7,689 54.3%

Cohabitating with Child's Mother 4,112 29.1%

Living Alone or Apart from Mother of Child 2,348 16.6%

Source: The National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG). National Center for Health Statistics. 2011-2015.

Note: Data are weighted. When weighted, the 2011-2015 wave of the NSFG is representative of men ages 15-44 in 2013.

• Just over half (54.3 percent) of births occurring between 2006 and 2015 were to fathers who were married to the

mother of their child. 

• If the child was born outside of marriage, fathers were more likely to be cohabitating with the child’s mother (29.1 

percent) than living apart from her (16.6 percent). 

Table 7. Prevalence of Multiple-Partner Fertility by Age, 2013

Age % of Men Who Have Experienced Multiple Partner Fertility

15-25 Years 6.8%

26-30 Years 9.9%

31-35 Years 15.1%

36-40 Years 17.0%

Source: The National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG). National Center for Health Statistics. 2011-2015.

Note: Limited to men aged 15-40 at time of interview. Data are weighted. When weighted, the 2011-2015 wave of the NSFG 

is representative of men ages 15-40 in 2013.

• The proportion of men who had fathered children with more than one woman increased significantly with age. 

• In 2013, almost 7 percent of men had experienced multiple-partner fertility by age 25. This percentage increased 

significantly to 17 percent by the age of 40.
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Table 8. Prevalence of Multiple-Partner Fertility by Marital Status, 2013

Marital Status at Time of Births % of Men Who Have Experienced Multiple Partner Fertility

Nonmarital Only 17.8%

Marital Only 2.4%

Nonmarital First Birth and Marital Subsequent 

Birth(s) 41.6%

Marital First Birth and Nonmarital Subsequent 

Birth(s) 66.9%

Source: The National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG). National Center for Health Statistics. 2011-2015.

Note: Data are weighted. When weighted, the 2011-2015 wave of the NSFG is representative of men ages 15-44 in 2013.

• In 2013, men who had nonmarital only births were significantly more likely to have fathered children with more than 

one woman (17.8 percent) than men who had marital only births (2.4%). 

• Men who had nonmarital first births and marital subsequent births or marital first births and nonmarital subsequent 

births were significantly more likely to have fathered children with more than one woman (41.6% and 66.9%, 

respectively) than men who had nonmarital or marital only births.

Table 9. Prevalence of Multiple-Partner Fertility by Race/Ethnicity, 2013

Race/Ethnicity % of Men Who Have Experienced Multiple Partner Fertility

Non-Hispanic White 11.8%

Non-Hispanic Black 22.4%

Hispanic 14.7%

Source: The National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG). National Center for Health Statistics. 2011-2015.

Note: Data are weighted. When weighted, the 2011-2015 wave of the NSFG is representative of men ages 15-44 in 2013.

• In 2013, more than one in five non-Hispanic black men had experienced multiple partner fertility (22.4 percent). This 

rate is significantly higher than those of their Hispanic and non-Hispanic white counterparts (14.7 percent and 11.8 

percent, respectively). 
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Table 10. Number of Children Fathered by Men’s Age, 2013

Number of Children Fathered

Current Age Total Men (1000s) Zero One Two

Three or 

More

All (Ages 15-44) 60,875 56.2% 15.6% 16.2% 12.0%

15-19 Years 9,997 98.1% 1.8% 0.1% 0.0%

20-24 Years 10,598 86.9% 9.5% 2.6% 1.0%

25-29 Years 10,472 62.8% 21.1% 10.8% 5.3%

30-34 Years 10,290 41.4% 21.0% 22.0% 15.6%

35-39 Years 9,462 25.2% 20.1% 32.7% 22.1%

40-44 Years 10,055 19.6% 20.2% 30.9% 29.3%

Source: The National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG). National Center for Health Statistics. 2011-2015.

Note: Data are weighted. When weighted, the 2011-2015 wave of the NSFG is representative of men ages 15-44 in 2013.

• In 2013, nearly 44 percent of all men aged 15-44 years had fathered at least one child. Only 1.9 percent of men aged 15-

19 years had fathered a child. By age 44, four out of five men (80.4 percent) had fathered at least one child.

• In 2013, over 15 percent of men had fathered one child, 16 percent of men had fathered two children, and 12 percent 

had fathered 3 or more children.

• Older men, those in the 40-44 age range, were significantly more likely to have fathered three or more children (29.3 

percent) than all other age groups. 

Table 11. Number of Children Fathered by Education Level, 2013

Number of Children Fathered

Education Level Total Men (1000s) Zero One Two

Three or 

More

All*

*Education statistics are limited to men aged 22-44, the “All” category includes men aged 15-21 as well.

60,875 56.2% 15.6% 16.2% 12.0%

No High School Diploma or GED 6,130 25.6% 21.1% 26.4% 26.8%

High School Diploma or GED 13,205 38.2% 23.2% 21.0% 17.6%

Some College, No Bachelor's Degree 13,822 50.6% 18.6% 18.2% 12.6%

Bachelor's Degree or Higher 13,448 51.2% 15.4% 21.8% 11.6%

Source: The National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG). National Center for Health Statistics. 2011-2015.

Note: Data are weighted. When weighted, the 2011-2015 wave of the NSFG is representative of men ages 15-44 in 2013.

• In 2013, men with higher levels of education (some college or more) were significantly less likely to have fathered a child 

than men with lower levels of education (high school diploma, GED, or less). 

• Only 11.6 percent of men with a bachelor’s degree or higher had fathered three or more children, significantly less than 

the 26.8 percent of men with no high school diploma or GED.
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Table 12. Number of Children Fathered by Marital or Cohabitating Status, 2013 

Number of Children Fathered

Marital or Cohabitating Status Total Men (1000s) Zero One Two

Three or 

More

All 60,875 56.2% 15.6% 16.2% 12.0%

Currently Married 22,041 20.0% 22.4% 33.2% 24.5%

Currently Cohabitating 8,078 45.5% 25.5% 15.9% 13.1%

Never Married, Not Cohabitating 27,648 91.2% 6.2% 1.6% 1.0%

Formerly Married, Not Cohabitating 3,107 29.9% 25.1% 26.9% 18.0%

Source: The National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG). National Center for Health Statistics. 2011-2015.

Note: Data are weighted. When weighted, the 2011-2015 wave of the NSFG is representative of men ages 15-44 in 2013.

• In 2013, 80 percent of currently married men and 70 percent of formerly married (and not cohabitating) men had

fathered one or more children.

• Men who were both never married and non-cohabitating were significantly less likely to have fathered a child (91.2 

percent) than all other groups. 

• Over one half of currently cohabitating men had fathered one or more children (54.5 percent).

Table 13. Number of Children Fathered by Race/Ethnicity, 2013

Number of Children Fathered

Men’s Race/Ethnicity Total Men (1000s) Zero One Two

Three or 

More

All*

*Includes men of other or multiple races and origin groups, not shown separately.

60,875 56.2% 15.6% 16.2% 12.0%

Hispanic/Latino 12,908 50.2% 15.8% 18.2% 15.8%

Non-Hispanic White 34,304 57.7% 15.0% 16.9% 10.4%

Non-Hispanic Black 7,286 53.4% 17.7% 14.4% 14.5%

Source: The National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG). National Center for Health Statistics. 2011-2015.

Note: Data are weighted. When weighted, the 2011-2015 wave of the NSFG is representative of men ages 15-44 in 2013.

• In 2013, non-Hispanic white men were significantly less likely to have fathered a child (42.3 percent) than Hispanic and 

non-Hispanic black men (49.8% and 46.6%, respectively). 

• Hispanic and non-Hispanic black men were significantly more likely to have fathered three or more children (15.8 and 

14.5 percent, respectively) compared to non-Hispanic white men (10.4 percent).
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Table 14. Number and Percent of Fathers by Age and Marital and Cohabitating Status at First 

Birth, 2013

Nonmarital First Birth

Father’s Age at First 

Birth

All Fathers Aged 15-44 

in 2013 (1000s) Marital First Birth

Within 

Cohabitating 

Union

Living Alone or Apart 

from Mother

All Ages 26,661 53.1% 28.7% 18.2%

15-19 Years 3,691 8.3% 40.5% 51.2%

20-24 Years 8,631 40.3% 37.8% 21.9%

25-29 Years 8,174 65.5% 24.4% 10.1%

30-44 Years 6,165 81.3% 14.4% 4.3%

Source: The National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG). National Center for Health Statistics. 2011-2015.

Note: Data are weighted. When weighted, the 2011-2015 wave of the NSFG is representative of men ages 15-44 in 2013.

• In 2013, just over half (53 percent) of fathers were married to the mother of their child at time of first birth. 

• Fathers under 20 years old at their first birth were significantly less likely to have had the birth within a marriage, as 

nearly 92 percent of these births were nonmarital. 

• Teenage fathers who had a nonmarital first birth were significantly more likely to have been living apart from the mother 

than cohabitating (51.2 percent vs. 40.5 percent). Older fathers who had a nonmarital first birth (18.7 percent), however, 

were more likely to have been in a cohabitating relationship with the mother than living apart (14.4 percent vs. 4.3 

percent). 

• The older a father is at the birth of his first child, the more likely he is to be married. For example, 81.3 percent of fathers 

aged 30-44 years were married at the birth of their first child compared to 65.5 percent of fathers aged 25-29 and 40.3 

percent of fathers aged 20-24 years. 

Table 15. Number and Percent of Fathers by Income and Marital and Cohabitating Status at First 

Birth, 2013

Nonmarital First Birth

Percent of Poverty Level

All Fathers Aged 20-

44 in 2013 (1000s) Marital first Birth

Within 

Cohabitating 

Union

Living Alone or Apart 

from Mother

All*

*Income information is limited to men aged 20-44, the "All" category includes men aged 15-19 as well. 

26,661 53.1% 28.7% 18.2%

0-149 Percent 8,074 36.1% 40.6% 23.3%

150-299 Percent 7,592 46.5% 33.9% 19.6%

300 Percent or Higher 10,808 70.6% 16.0% 13.5%

Source: The National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG). National Center for Health Statistics. 2011-2015.

Note: Data are weighted. When weighted, the 2011-2015 wave of the NSFG is representative of men ages 15-44 in 2013.

• Men with lower incomes (living below 150 percent of the poverty level) were significantly more likely (63.9 percent) than 

those with higher incomes (53.5 percent and 29.5 percent) to have had a nonmarital first birth.

• Men with incomes below 300 percent of the poverty level who had had a nonmarital first birth were significantly more 

likely to have lived alone or apart from the mother (23.3 percent and 19.6 percent, respectively) than men with incomes 

higher than 300 percent of the poverty level (13.5 percent).
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Table 16. Number and Percent of Fathers with a Nonmarital First Birth by Race/Ethnicity and 

Cohabitating Status, 2013

Nonmarital First Birth

Father’s 

Race/Ethnicity

All Fathers Aged 15-44 in 

2013 (1000s) Marital First Birth

Within Cohabitating 

Union

Living Alone or 

Apart from 

Mother

All*

*Includes men of other or multiple races and origin groups, not shown separately.

26,661 53.1% 28.7% 18.2%

Hispanic or Latino 6,432 41.1% 39.9% 19.1%

Non-Hispanic White 14,506 64.6% 22.3% 13.2%

Non-Hispanic Black 3,396 24.4% 36.0% 39.7%

Source: The National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG). National Center for Health Statistics. 2011-2015.

Note: Data are weighted. When weighted, the 2011-2015 wave of the NSFG is representative of men ages 15-44 in 2013.

• In 2013, non-Hispanic black fathers (75.7 percent) were significantly more likely to have had a nonmarital first birth than 

Hispanic and non-Hispanic white fathers (59.0 percent and 35.5 percent). Hispanic fathers were also significantly more 

likely to have had a nonmarital first birth than non-Hispanic white fathers.

• At the time of nonmarital first birth, non-Hispanic black fathers were significantly more likely to be living apart from the 

mother (39.7 percent) than their Hispanic (19.1 percent) and non-Hispanic white (13.2 percent) peers. Hispanic fathers 

were also significantly more likely to be living apart from the mother than non-Hispanic white fathers.