INTRODUCTION woman.2 During the past decade, fertility rates have fluctuated between 2.0 and This report profiles current fertility pat- 2.1 births per woman, a rate below the terns of American women and is based level required for the natural replace- on data collected in the June 2002 sup- ment of the population (about 2.1 births plement to the Current Population Survey

(CPS).1 per woman).3

Unlike annual fertility statistics

compiled from birth certificates by the CURRENT FERTILITY National Center for Health Statistics

(NCHS), CPS data are collected from two Overall patterns of fertility

questions asked of women 15 to 44 Table 1 shows fertility levels for women years old: (1) the number of children in June 2002 by age, race, and Hispanic they have ever had, and (2) the date of origin.4 Of the 61.4 million women who birth of their last child. The report pro- were 15 to 44 years old in June 2002, vides current estimates of fertility and 3.8 million gave birth in the preceding out-of-wedlock childbearing, highlighting 12 months; 1.4 million were first births.5

differences among women by race, eth- This produced an estimated fertility rate nicity, and nativity status. Historical of 61 births per 1,000 women 15 to 44 data from previous surveys are also used years old and a corresponding first-birth in this report to show the fluctuations rate of 23 births per 1,000 women. In since 1976 in the labor force participation of women with infants (children 2 The total fertility rate for a given year is a hypounder 1 year of age), and to illustrate thetical estimate of completed fertility. It indicates

how women completing their childbear- how many births a woman would have by the end of

her reproductive life if, for all of her childbearing

ing today differ from women a genera- years, she was to experience the age-specific birth

tion earlier, whose principal childbearing rates for that given year. 3 The level required for the natural replacement of years occurred during the Baby Boom the population is the average number of children a

(1946 to 1964). woman must have to replace herself with a female living to the average age of childbearing. Taking into

account that slightly more boy than girl babies are Data from NCHS indicate that fertility born and that not all children survive to the childbearrates have fluctuated sharply since the ing ages, this level is about 2.1 births per woman. 

peak of the Baby Boom in the late 1950s, 4 The estimates in this report are based on

responses from a sample of the population. As with

when women were having children at a all surveys, estimates may vary from the actual (popurate of more than 3.5 births per woman. lation) values because of sampling variation or other

factors. All comparisons made in this report have

By the mid-1970s, the total fertility rate undergone statistical testing and are significant at the

fell by one-half to about 1.8 births per 90-percent confidence level unless otherwise noted. 5 Preliminary vital statistics estimates for the calendar year 2002 indicate that there were about 4 1 The data in this report are from the Fertility million births, of which 1.6 million were first births

Supplement to the June 2002 Current Population (Brady E. Hamilton, et al., “Births: Preliminary Data

Survey. The population represented (the population for 2002.” National Vital Statistics Report, Vol. 51,

universe) is the female civilian noninstitutionalized No. 11. National Center for Health Statistics,

population, 15 to 44 years old, of the United States. Hyattsville, MD, 2003, Table 2).

U S C E N S U S B U R E A U

Helping You Make Informed Decisions

Demographic Programs

U.S. Department of Commerce

Economics and Statistics Administration

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU

P20-548

Fertility of American Women:

June 2002

Population Characteristics

Issued October 2003

Current

Population

Reports

By 

Barbara Downs
2 U.S. Census Bureau

Table 1.

Fertility Indicators for Women 15 to 44 Years Old by Age, Race, and Hispanic Origin:

June 2002

(Numbers in thousands)

Characteristic

Number of

women

Percent

childless

Women who had a child in the last year

Children

ever born

per 1,000

women

Number

with a birth

Births per 1,000 women

First births

per 1,000

Rate women

90-percent confidence interval

AGE

Total. . . ........................ 61,361 43.5 3,766 61.4 59.4 - 63.4 23.1 1,211

15 to 19 years ...................... 9,809 91.2 549 55.9 50.9 - 60.9 27.7 140

20 to 24 years ...................... 9,683 67.0 872 90.0 83.0 - 97.0 45.3 525

25 to 29 years ...................... 9,221 45.2 897 97.2 90.2 - 104.2 33.2 1,050

30 to 34 years ...................... 10,284 27.6 859 83.6 77.6 - 89.6 26.4 1,543

35 to 39 years ...................... 10,803 20.2 452 41.9 36.9 - 46.9 7.9 1,849

40 to 44 years ......................

RACE AND ETHNICITY

White

11,561 17.9 137 11.9 9.9 - 13.9 3.6 1,930

Total. . . ........................ 48,481 43.9 2,958 61.0 58.0 - 64.0 22.9 1,196

15 to 19 years ...................... 7,699 91.9 394 51.1 45.1 - 57.1 24.7 129

20 to 24 years ...................... 7,604 69.5 631 83.0 76.0 - 90.0 42.8 473

25 to 29 years ...................... 7,151 46.6 723 101.1 93.1 - 109.1 34.7 1,018

30 to 34 years ...................... 8,057 27.2 717 88.9 81.7 - 95.1 29.5 1,530

35 to 39 years ...................... 8,658 20.2 374 43.2 38.2 - 48.2 7.9 1,842

40 to 44 years ......................

White, Non-Hispanic

9,313 17.9 120 12.8 9.8 - 15.8 4.2 1,917

Total. . . ........................ 40,017 45.6 2,262 56.5 53.5 - 59.5 21.3 1,130

15 to 19 years ...................... 6,296 93.0 289 45.8 39.8 - 51.8 21.7 116

20 to 24 years ...................... 6,138 73.2 437 71.1 63.1 - 79.1 37.4 406

25 to 29 years ...................... 5,599 51.1 555 99.2 90.2 - 108.2 37.4 881

30 to 34 years ...................... 6,544 29.9 576 88.0 80.0 - 96.0 28.7 1,413

35 to 39 years ...................... 7,281 21.5 300 41.2 36.2 - 46.2 7.7 1,755

40 to 44 years ......................

Black

8,160 18.5 106 13.0 10.0 - 16.0 4.2 1,842

Total. . . ........................ 8,846 39.0 571 64.6 58.6 - 70.6 22.3 1,354

15 to 19 years ...................... 1,535 86.7 125 81.4 65.4 - 97.4 38.0 214

20 to 24 years ...................... 1,497 51.1 193 128.9 108.9 - 148.9 61.2 828

25 to 29 years ...................... 1,351 31.6 98 72.7 56.7 - 88.7 18.6 1,392

30 to 34 years ...................... 1,440 23.9 95 66.1 51.1 - 81.1 10.1 1,790

35 to 39 years ...................... 1,506 19.7 52 34.2 23.2 - 45.2 5.0 1,942

40 to 44 years ......................

Asian and Pacific Islander

1,518 19.2 8 5.6 1.6 - 9.6 - 1,991

Total. . . ........................ 3,267 50.8 181 55.4 46.4 - 64.4 27.3 994

15 to 19 years ...................... 447 94.2 23 51.1 27.1 - 75.1 34.9 86

20 to 24 years ...................... 481 81.0 22 45.1 23.1 - 67.1 29.5 297

25 to 29 years ...................... 608 60.7 66 109.1 79.1 - 139.1 45.2 631

30 to 34 years ...................... 632 41.2 40 62.5 40.5 - 84.5 31.3 1,124

35 to 39 years ...................... 530 23.3 21 40.6 20.6 - 60.6 17.7 1,605

40 to 44 years ......................

Hispanic (of any race)

568 16.8 9 15.7 3.7 - 27.7 4.8 1,974

Total. . . ........................ 9,141 35.8 750 82.0 73.0 - 91.0 30.4 1,511

15 to 19 years ...................... 1,517 87.8 105 69.3 48.3 - 90.3 35.4 172

20 to 24 years ...................... 1,574 52.9 226 143.7 115.7 - 171.7 70.8 768

25 to 29 years ...................... 1,682 29.5 176 104.6 80.6 - 128.6 25.8 1,522

30 to 34 years ...................... 1,620 15.6 152 93.7 70.7 - 116.7 32.6 2,043

35 to 39 years ...................... 1,481 13.4 77 52.1 34.1 - 70.1 8.1 2,287

40 to 44 years ...................... 1,266 13.1 14 10.9 1.9 - 19.9 3.8 2,437

- Represents zero or rounds to zero.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, June 2002.
this report, the fertility rate is

defined as the number of women

who reported having a child in the

12-month period ending in June

2002 per 1,000 women in the

specified age and/or characteristic

group at the time of the survey. 

Overall, 44 percent of women in

the childbearing ages were childless in 2002. Table 2 shows that

among women 40 to 44 years old

(who were nearing the completion

of their childbearing years), 

18 percent were childless, almost

twice as high as among women

who were the same age in 1976

(10 percent). Women 40 to 44

years old in 2002 will probably

end their childbearing years with

an average of 1.9 children, more

than one child fewer than the average for women in this same age

group in 1976 (3.1 children).

This shift in average number of

children born by age 44 reflects

the decline in families with four or

more children, from 36 percent to

10 percent, and the corresponding

increase in families with one or

two children from 31 percent to 

53 percent.

Fertility differences by 

race and ethnicity

Hispanic women had the highest

fertility rate in 2002 among all race

and origin groups shown in Table 1

(82 births per 1,000 women 15 to

44 years old).6 Among Hispanic

women, 750,000 gave birth in the

year prior to the survey, representing 20 percent of all births in 2002.

The proportion of all women 15 to

44 years old who were Hispanic

was 15 percent in 2002. The fertility rate of non-Hispanic White

women (57 births per 1,000

women) was considerably lower

than that of Hispanic women.

Among women 40 to 44 years old

in 2002, only Hispanic women,

with an average of 2.4 births,

exceeded the level required for the

natural replacement of the population (about 2.1 births per woman).

White women and non-Hispanic

White women had fertility levels

significantly below the replacement

U.S. Census Bureau 3

6 People of Hispanic origin may be of any

race. Data for the American Indian and

Alaska Native population are not shown in

this report because of their small sample

size in the CPS. Based on the population of

women 15 to 44 years old surveyed in the

June 2002 CPS, 4.7 percent of the Black population and 2.6 percent of the Asian and

Pacific Islander population were also of

Hispanic origin.

level, averaging 1.9 and 1.8 births

per woman, respectively.

Corresponding to their relatively

high level of completed fertility,

only 13 percent of Hispanic

women 40 to 44 years old were

childless, compared with 19 percent of non-Hispanic White women.

Fertility differences by

nativity status

Table 3 shows that 8.9 million

foreign-born women 15 to 44 years

old lived in the United States in June

2002, representing 15 percent of

women in the childbearing ages.7

In the year prior to the survey,

637,000 foreign-born women gave

birth, resulting in a fertility rate of

71 births per 1,000 women. Fortyone percent of births to foreignborn women were first births. The

fertility rate for native women was

considerably lower, at 60 births per

1,000 women, although the percentage of first births (37 percent)

was not significantly different from

that of foreign-born women.

7 In this report, “native” is used to designate people born in the United States, Puerto

Rico, the outlying areas or territories of the

Unites States, or abroad to at least one U.S.-

citizen parent. “Foreign born” refers to all

other people. The Current Population Survey

sample does not include Puerto Rico or other

outlying areas.

Table 2.

Children Ever Born Per 1,000 Women 40 to 44 Years Old: Selected Years, 1976 to 2002

(Numbers in thousands)

Children Percent distribution of women by number of children ever born

Year Number of

ever born

per 1,000 5 or more

women women Total None 1 child 2 children 3 children 4 children children

1976............. 5,684 3,091 100.0 10.2 9.6 21.7 22.7 15.8 20.1

1980............. 5,983 2,988 100.0 10.1 9.6 24.6 22.6 15.5 17.6

1985............. 7,226 2,447 100.0 11.4 12.6 32.9 23.1 10.9 9.1

1990............. 8,905 2,045 100.0 16.0 16.9 35.0 19.4 8.0 4.8

1995............. 10,244 1,961 100.0 17.5 17.6 35.2 18.5 7.4 3.9

1998............. 11,113 1,877 100.0 19.0 17.3 35.8 18.2 6.1 3.5

2000............. 11,447 1,913 100.0 19.0 16.4 35.0 19.1 7.2 3.3

2002............. 11,561 1,930 100.0 17.9 17.4 35.4 18.9 6.8 3.6

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, selected years, June 1976 to June 2002.
4 U.S. Census Bureau

Table 3.

Fertility Indicators for Women 15 to 44 Years Old by Selected Characteristics: June 2002

(Numbers in thousands)

Characteristic

Number of

women

Percent

childless

Women who had a child in the last year

Children ever

born per

1,000 women

First births

Births per per 1,000

Number 1,000 women women

Total. . . ..............................

MARITAL STATUS

Currently married. . . .......................

Married - husband present ...............

Married - husband absent1 ...............

Divorced or widowed ......................

Never married . ...........................

EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT

Not a high school graduate .................

High school graduate ......................

College, 1 or more years ...................

No degree..............................

Associate degree........................

Bachelor’s degree .......................

Graduate or professional degree ..........

LABOR FORCE STATUS

In labor force . . . ..........................

Employed ..............................

Unemployed ............................

Not in labor force..........................

ANNUAL FAMILY INCOME

Under $10,000 ............................

$10,000 to $19,999. .......................

$20,000 to $24,999. .......................

$25,000 to $29,999. .......................

$30,000 to $34,999. .......................

$35,000 to $49,999. .......................

$50,000 to $74,999. .......................

$75,000 and over .........................

Not ascertained . ..........................

REGION OF RESIDENCE

Northeast.................................

Midwest ..................................

South . . . .................................

West. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

METROPOLITAN RESIDENCE

Metropolitan . . . ...........................

In central cities..........................

Outside central cities ....................

Nonmetropolitan...........................

NATIVITY AND HISPANIC ORIGIN

Native....................................

Hispanic (of any race) ...................

Not Hispanic ............................

White, not Hispanic.....................

Foreign born..............................

Hispanic (of any race) ...................

Not Hispanic ............................

White, not Hispanic.....................

61,361

30,275

27,828

2,446

5,303

25,782

13,096

16,644

31,621

12,451

5,113

10,592

3,465

43,360

40,150

3,210

18,001

4,203

5,760

3,348

3,464

3,612

8,477

10,613

13,771

8,114

11,616

14,041

21,680

14,024

50,755

18,804

31,950

10,606

52,428

4,739

47,689

38,485

8,933

4,402

4,531

1,533

43.5

18.7

18.5

21.1

21.1

77.2

58.8

30.7

43.9

45.9

33.0

46.6

44.6

44.0

43.2

52.8

42.4

40.0

39.9

38.2

41.9

43.7

43.0

43.6

47.2

44.7

46.1

43.8

40.9

45.1

44.8

46.4

43.8

37.3

44.8

43.7

45.0

45.7

35.6

27.4

43.5

42.4

3,766

2,505

2,382

124

143

1,118

812

1,005

1,949

750

221

683

294

2,056

1,867

189

1,710

355

472

215

194

264

457

554

826

428

694

780

1,453

838

3,032

1,163

1,869

734

3,129

371

2,758

2,170

637

379

258

92

61.4

82.8

85.6

50.5

26.9

43.3

62.0

60.4

61.6

60.2

43.2

64.5

84.9

47.4

46.5

58.8

95.0

84.5

81.9

64.3

56.1

73.2

53.9

52.2

60.0

52.8

59.7

55.6

67.0

59.8

59.7

61.8

58.5

69.2

59.7

78.3

57.8

56.4

71.3

86.0

56.9

59.7

23.1

28.6

29.6

17.0

6.6

19.9

20.1

22.8

24.4

24.0

15.5

25.1

36.8

19.5

18.4

32.9

31.6

30.5

34.8

21.9

15.9

23.1

19.0

23.3

21.4

21.1

21.2

21.6

25.9

21.7

22.6

22.9

22.5

25.1

22.0

28.5

21.3

21.1

29.3

32.5

26.2

26.8

1,211

1,792

1,784

1,878

1,724

423

1,043

1,478

1,140

1,124

1,374

1,059

1,100

1,165

1,178

1,011

1,320

1,449

1,334

1,338

1,221

1,206

1,204

1,176

1,098

1,188

1,148

1,212

1,234

1,226

1,180

1,167

1,188

1,357

1,169

1,285

1,157

1,127

1,456

1,755

1,166

1,195

1

Includes separated women.

Note: Since the number of women who have had a birth during the 12-month period was tabulated and not the actual numbers of births themselves, a small

underestimation of fertility for this period may exist because of the omission of: (1) multiple births; (2) more than one live birth occurring to a woman in a

12-month period (the woman is only counted once); (3) women who had births in the period and who died by the survey date; (4) women who were in institutions and therefore not in the survey universe; (5) 2 percent of births in a 12-month period (only 51 weeks of data are tabulated in the CPS due to the mid- to

late-June interview schedule). These losses may be somewhat offset by the inclusion in the CPS of births to immigrants who did not have their children born in

the United States and births to nonresident women who had their children born in the United States. These births would not have been recorded in the vital registration system. The ages of the women in this table and similar tables in this report refer to the age of women at the time of the survey and not at the birth of

the child.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, June 2002.
U.S. Census Bureau 5

Among foreign-born women 15 to

44 years old, those of Hispanic origin had a higher fertility rate in

2002 (86 births per 1,000 women)

than those not of Hispanic origin

(57 births per 1,000 women), and a

higher average number of births

per woman (1.8 and 1.2, respectively).8 Consistent with their higher

fertility rates, foreign-born Hispanic

8 In order to control for differences in 

the age distributions of Hispanic and nonHispanic immigrants, the total fertility rate for

each of these populations was constructed

from age-specific fertility rates from the 

women were less likely to be childless (27 percent) than were foreignborn women not of Hispanic origin

(44 percent). In 2002, 59 percent

of births to foreign-born women

were to women of Hispanic origin,

although they represented only 

49 percent of foreign-born women

in the childbearing ages.

June CPS. Hispanic women who were foreignborn had an estimated total rate of 2.5 births

per woman compared with 1.7 births per

woman for non-Hispanic women who were

foreign born. Also, see footnote 1.

Figure 1.

Births Out of Wedlock: June 2002

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, June 2002.

(Percent of births born out of wedlock in the preceding 12 months to 

women in specified categories)

Foreign born

Native

Graduate or professional degree

Bachelor's degree

Associate degree

Some college, no degree

High school graduate

Not a high school graduate

Hispanic (of any race)

Asian and Pacific Islander

Black

White, not Hispanic

30 to 44 years old

25 to 29 years old

20 to 24 years old

15 to 19 years old

All women 33

89

50

18

12

25

65

27

36

63

38

36

18

6

6

36

23

AGE

RACE AND ETHNICITY

EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT

NATIVITY

Among native women, fertility

rates for Hispanic women were

also higher than those of nonHispanic women (78 births per

1,000 and 58 births per 1,000,

respectively), as were the average

number of children born per

woman (1.3 and 1.2, respectively).

However, levels of childlessness

were not significantly different

between the two groups. A key

reason for the difference in overall

fertility rates between Hispanic and

non-Hispanic native women was

the high fertility of Hispanic

women 20 to 24 years old.

Among Hispanic women 20 to 24

years old, the fertility rate was 131

births per 1,000 women; the corresponding fertility rate for nonHispanic women was 81 births per

1,000 women. At other ages,

there were no significant differences in fertility rates between the

two groups. 

OUT-OF-WEDLOCK

CHILDBEARING

Annual estimates for 2002

Estimates from the June 2002 CPS

indicate that approximately 1.3 million women gave birth out of wedlock in the 12-month period preceding the survey, representing 

33 percent of all births during this

period. About 1.1 million births

were to never-married women,

while 143,000 were to women who

were widowed or divorced at the

time of the survey (see Table 3).

These estimates may vary slightly

from those reported by NCHS

because marital status in the CPS is

recorded at the time of the survey

and not at the time of the actual

birth.9 Some women in the CPS

9 Preliminary vital statistics estimates for

the calendar year 2002 indicate that unmarried women (all ages) had 1.4 million births,

34 percent of all births. (Brady E. Hamilton,

et al., “Births: Preliminary Data for 2002.”

National Vital Statistics Report, Vol. 51, 

No. 11. National Center for Health Statistics,

Hyattsville, MD, 2003, Table C).
who gave birth in the last year may

have subsequently married or

divorced by the time of the survey.

In addition, out-of-wedlock birth

data from NCHS are recorded by the

physician on the birth certificate at

the time of the child’s birth, whereas CPS estimates of out-of-wedlock

births are based on the information

provided by the respondent at the

time of the interview.

Characteristics of women with

an out-of-wedlock birth

Out-of-wedlock childbearing occurs

most frequently among younger

women (see Figure 1). In 2002, 89

percent of births to teenagers were

out of wedlock, compared with 50

percent of births to women in their

early twenties. The proportion

declined to 12 percent for women

30 years old and over. The majority (65 percent) of births to Black

women in 2002 were out of wedlock, compared with 36 percent for

Hispanic women and 25 percent

for non-Hispanic White women.

The proportion of births born out

of wedlock among foreign-born

women was considerably lower (23

percent) than among native women

(36 percent).

Figure 1 also shows an inverse

relationship between educational

attainment and the proportion of

births out of wedlock, which

ranged from 63 percent among

mothers who had not graduated

from high school to only 6 percent

among women who had either a

bachelor’s degree or a

graduate/professional degree.

Births to cohabiting women

Cohabitation between unmarriedopposite-sex partners may increase

the likelihood of an out-of-wedlock

birth compared with unmarried

people who are not cohabiting, as

living with a partner may increase

sexual activity.10 Table 4 shows

that the birth rate among women

who were living with an unmarried

partner, 87 per 1,000 women, is

not different from that of women

living with a husband (86 per

1,000 women), but much higher

than the rate of women living

6 U.S. Census Bureau

10 See Davis, Kingsley and Judith Blake.

1956. “Social Structures and Fertility,”

Economic Development and Cultural Change,

4 (211-235). 

Cohabitation, in this report, is determined by whether a woman is living with a

male unmarried partner, where either the

woman or her partner is the householder.

People in a partnered relationship but who

are not living together in the same household, or if neither is identified as the householder, are not tabulated in this report (for

example, the daughter of the householder

living with her partner who would be identified as a nonrelative of the householder

would not be tabulated).

without an opposite-sex partner 

(36 per 1,000 women). 

First-birth rates were highest

among cohabiting women, followed by women living with a husband, and then women without

partners. Levels of childlessness

reflect a different pattern, with

married-husband-present women

the least likely to be childless, followed by cohabiting women, and

women without partners (19 percent, 45 percent, and 67 percent,

respectively). Cohabiting women

probably had higher first-birth

rates and levels of childlessness

than currently married women

because they were younger on

average and had fewer years during which they could be in a partnered union. 

LABOR FORCE

CHARACTERISTICS OF

MOTHERS WITH INFANTS

Change in labor force 

patterns since 1976

In June 2002, 2.1 million women

who had infants were in the labor

force: 1.9 million (91 percent) were

employed at the time of the survey, while another 189,000 were

unemployed (see Table 3). The

Census Bureau first recorded labor

force participation rates of mothers

Table 4.

Fertility Indicators for Women 15 to 44 Years Old by Cohabitation Status: June 2002

(Numbers in thousands)

Cohabitation status

Number of

women

Mean age

in years

Percent

childless

Women who had a child in the last year

Children

ever born

per 1,000

women

Number

with a birth

Births per

1,000

women

First births

per 1,000

women

Total ............................

Married, spouse in household ..........

Unmarried partner in household1 ........

No partner in household2 ..............

61,361

27,828

3,531

30,001

30.0

34.5

29.2

26.0

43.5

18.5

45.0

66.5

3,766

2,382

307

1,077

61.4

85.6

87.0

35.9

23.1

29.6

42.8

14.6

1,211

1,784

1,124

689

1

Includes women of any marital status who were living with an opposite sex unmarried partner at the time of the survey.

2

Includes women of any marital status who were not living with an opposite sex partner at the time of the survey.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, June 2002.
with infants in 1976, when the rate

was 31 percent among women

who had had a child in the past

year.11 New mothers’ labor force

involvement increased or held

steady from 1976 through 1998,

when it peaked at 59 percent (see

Figure 2). The 2000 participation

level of 55 percent was the first

statistically significant decline

since 1976 and its level was not

different from 2002 (also 55 percent). Changes in the labor force

participation of women with

infants could signal changes in the

need for child care, in child rearing

practices, in future childbearing

and birth spacing patterns, and in

the demand for employer-sponsored maternity leave benefits. 

U.S. Census Bureau 7

11 The labor force participation rate is

defined as the percentage of people in a

specified population group who are either

employed or looking for work. Mothers are

defined in this report as women age 15 to

44 years old who have had at least one live

birth, regardless of whether any of their children currently reside with them. Infants are

defined as children under 1 year (less than

12 months) old. 

Table 5 shows trends in the labor

force participation of mothers with

infants from 1990 to 2002. In both

1990 and 1994, the overall rate

was 53 percent. The only group

that increased their labor force participation rate in this period was

women whose marital status was

not “married — husband present”:

from 44 percent to 50 percent.

During the next 4-year period, from

1994 to 1998, the overall labor

force participation rate increased

from 53 percent to 59 percent.

Increases occurred among women

25 years old and over, women with

two or more children, Black women,

both married and unmarried

women, and women who were high

school graduates. 

From 1998 to 2000, the overall

participation rate of mothers with

infants dropped from 59 percent to

55 percent. Declines occurred in

this period among mothers 

30 years old and over, mothers

who were White, and mothers who

had 1 or more years of college.

While the rate for married mothers

with infants during this period

declined from 60 percent to 

54 percent — back to its 1994

level — the rate for unmarried

mothers with infants remained

unchanged in 2000 at 57 percent. 

Between 2000 and 2002, the labor

force participation rate remained

unchanged at 55 percent. Declines,

however, occurred in the labor force

participation of Black mothers and

those with less than a high school

education. The declines since 1998

suggest that economic or lifestyle

changes may be underway that

merit continued scrutiny.

Current labor force

participation among mothers

Table 6 shows the differences in

labor force participation of mothers 15 to 44 years old by whether

or not they had a child between

July 2001 and June 2002. Mothers

who had a child in the last year

recorded lower labor force participation rates (55 percent) than did

other mothers (72 percent).

Among childless women, 71 percent were in the labor force, not

significantly different from mothers

without infants.12

Women who seek to return to work

shortly after giving birth may want

part-time employment so they can

devote more time to providing care

to their newborns. Figure 3 shows

that among employed mothers,

12 A comparison of childless women and

mothers without infants yields no difference

in labor force participation. Motherhood likely has the greatest impact on employment

during the first year. After that, mothers and

childless women may have similar labor force

participation rates. Data for first-time mothers who had a child in the period 1991-94

indicate that 78 percent of women who

worked during their first pregnancy returned

to work within 12 months of their child’s birth

(see Kristin Smith, Barbara Downs and Martin

O’Connell. Maternity Leave and Employment

Patterns: 1961-1995. Current Population

Reports, P70-79. U.S. Census Bureau.

Washington, DC, 2001; Table I).

Figure 2.

Labor Force Participation Among Mothers 

With Infants: 1976 to 2002

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, selected years, 

June 1976 to June 2002.

(Percent of all women age 15-44 who had a child in the last 12 months 

who were in the labor force)

1976 1978 1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1995 1998 2000 2002

54.6

31.0

35.3

38.0

43.9

46.7

49.8 50.9 52.8 53.8 53.1 55.0

58.7

55.2
those with infants were more likely

to work part-time (29 percent) than

were those without infants 

(23 percent).13 Mothers of all ages

who had infants, except for

teenage mothers, worked full-time

more often than part-time. School

may compete with employment for

teenage mothers’ time, making

them more likely to work part-time

rather than full-time (see Table 6).

8 U.S. Census Bureau

13 Full-time workers are employed people

who worked 35 or more hours per week in

the interview reference week.

Differences in full-time and New mothers with a graduate or

part-time employment by professional degree were three

educational attainment times as likely to work at full-time

Labor force participation is appre- jobs as at part-time jobs. New

ciably higher among college- mothers who were high school

educated mothers with infants graduates or who had attended

than those with a high school edu- college and received an associate

cation or less. In 2002, 63 percent degree were twice as likely to work

of women with 1 or more years of full-time as part-time, while

college who had had a child in the women who did not complete high

previous year were in the labor school were equally likely to work

force, compared with 56 percent of full-time as part-time. Mothers at

high school graduates with infants all education levels with no infant

and only 32 percent of new moth- children were at least twice as likeers who were not high school ly to work full-time. 

graduates.

Table 5.

Changes in Labor Force Participation Among Mothers 15 to 44 Years Old With Infants by

Selected Characteristics: June 1990, 1994, 1998, 2000, and 2002

(Numbers in thousands. Limited to women with a birth in the 12-month period preceding the survey)

Characteristic

Percent of mothers in the labor force

Percentage point

difference

1990-

1994

Percentage point

difference

1994-

1998

Percentage point

difference

1998-

2000

Percentage point

difference

2000-

1990 1994 1998 2000 2002 2002

Total number of mothers

with infants .............. 3,913 3,890 3,671 3,934 3,766 (X) (X) (X) (X)

Percent in labor force ...........

AGE

52.8 53.1 58.7 55.2 54.6 0.3 *5.6 *–3.5 –0.6

15 to 19 years. . . ............... 42.8 39.3 43.2 46.0 38.9 –3.5 3.9 2.8 –7.1

20 to 24 years. . . ............... 45.5 51.0 56.4 51.9 54.7 5.5 5.4 –4.5 2.8

25 to 29 years. . . ............... 55.3 54.5 61.9 59.5 54.0 –0.8 *7.4 –2.4 –5.5

30 to 44 years. . . ...............

CHILDREN EVER BORN

58.9 57.1 63.0 57.7 60.9 –1.8 *5.9 *–5.3 3.2

One child ...................... 59.7 59.0 60.8 57.5 59.8 –0.7 1.8 –3.3 2.3

Two or more children............

RACE AND ETHNICITY

48.4 48.9 57.3 53.5 51.5 0.5 *8.4 –3.8 –2.0

White.......................... 54.5 55.4 58.4 53.1 53.8 0.9 3.0 *–5.3 0.7

White, non-Hispanic........... (NA) 59.2 61.6 56.8 56.8 (NA) (NA) *–4.8 –

Black . . . ....................... 46.9 47.0 63.0 65.8 57.4 0.1 *16.0 2.8 *–8.4

Asian and Pacific Islander ....... 48.0 37.7 49.9 56.3 51.1 –10.3 12.2 6.4 –5.2

Hispanic (of any race) ...........

MARITAL STATUS

43.8 37.7 45.7 41.8 45.2 –6.1 8.0 –3.9 3.4

Married–husband present ........ 56.4 54.5 59.5 54.1 55.4 –1.9 *5.0 *–5.4 1.3

All other1 ......................

EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT2

43.5 49.7 57.1 57.2 53.3 *6.2 *7.4 0.1 –3.9

Not a high school graduate ...... 31.5 33.5 37.7 39.0 32.2 2.0 4.2 1.3 *–6.8

High school graduate............ 51.9 48.1 58.4 55.0 56.1 –3.8 *10.3 –3.4 1.1

College, 1 or more years ........

Some college or Associate

65.3 66.2 67.9 63.5 63.2 0.9 1.7 *–4.4 –0.3

degree ..................... 62.8 63.3 67.3 63.2 62.9 0.5 4.0 –4.1 –0.3

Bachelor’s degree and above . . . 68.0 69.6 68.5 63.8 63.5 1.6 –1.1 –4.7 –0.3

* Indicates significant differences at the 90-percent confidence level. - Represents zero or rounds to zero. NA Not available. X Not applicable.

1

Includes married, spouse absent; separated; divorced; widowed; and never-married women. 2Educational attainment categories in 1990 based on years

of school completed.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, June 2002.
U.S. Census Bureau 9

Table 6.

Labor Force Participation Among Mothers 15 to 44 Years Old by Fertility Status and

Selected Characteristics: June 2002

(Numbers in thousands. Limited to women with at least one child ever born)

Mothers who had a child in the last year Mothers who did not have a child in the last year

Percent in labor force Percent in labor force Characteristic Number Number

of Unem- of Unemmothers Total Full-time Part-time ployed mothers Total Full-time Part-time ployed

Total.................... 3,766 54.6 33.8 15.7 5.0 30,905 72.0 51.3 16.4 4.3

AGE

15 to 19 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 549 38.9 12.6 18.4 7.9 318 56.9 23.7 20.1 13.0

20 to 24 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 872 54.7 32.3 14.5 7.9 2,327 66.4 43.5 15.1 7.8

25 to 29 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 897 54.0 38.5 11.9 3.6 4,156 69.0 47.1 16.2 5.8

30 to 44 years . . . . . .......... 1,449 60.9 39.9 17.9 3.1 24,104 73.2 53.1 16.5 3.6

CHILDREN EVER BORN AND

AGE OF WOMAN

One child.................... 1,415 59.8 37.0 15.3 7.5 9,298 75.2 56.4 14.7 4.1

15 to 19 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272 48.3 15.4 20.7 12.2 242 56.9 23.8 19.1 13.9

20 to 24 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . 438 58.3 34.6 12.8 10.8 1,455 68.2 44.7 16.8 6.7

25 to 29 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . 306 59.6 41.0 14.6 4.0 1,746 76.1 55.9 16.3 3.9

30 to 44 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . 399 69.5 51.3 15.0 3.2 5,855 77.5 60.8 13.6 3.1

Two or more children ......... 2,351 51.5 31.9 16.0 3.5 21,607 70.6 49.1 17.1 4.4

15 to 19 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277 29.7 9.9 16.1 3.7 76 56.7 23.4 23.1 10.2

20 to 24 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . 433 51.0 30.0 16.2 4.9 872 63.3 41.6 12.1 9.6

25 to 29 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . 591 51.1 37.2 10.5 3.4 2,410 64.0 40.7 16.1 7.1

30 to 44 years ............. 1,050 57.6 35.6 19.0 3.0 18,249 71.9 50.7 17.5 3.7

RACE AND ETHNICITY

White . ...................... 2,958 53.8 33.0 16.9 3.9 24,230 71.5 49.4 18.3 3.8

White non–Hispanic ........ 2,262 56.8 34.0 19.5 3.4 19,516 73.2 50.1 19.7 3.4

Black . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 571 57.4 36.7 10.0 10.6 4,823 76.4 60.0 9.1 7.3

Asian and Pacific Islander . . . . . 181 51.1 35.2 11.7 4.1 1,426 66.3 52.2 10.7 3.4

Hispanic (of any race) . . . . . . . . 750 45.2 29.9 8.7 6.6 5,115 64.2 46.3 12.6 5.2

MARITAL STATUS

Married–husband present ..... 2,382 55.4 36.4 16.3 2.7 20,297 69.1 48.0 18.3 2.8

Married–husband absent,

separated, divorced, or

widowed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266 62.9 44.8 9.8 8.4 5,848 80.3 62.0 11.9 6.5

Never married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,118 51.0 25.8 16.0 9.2 4,760 73.8 51.9 13.9 8.0

EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT

Not a high school graduate . . . . 812 32.2 13.0 11.0 8.1 4,590 55.4 34.4 14.0 7.0

High school, 4 years .......... 1,005 56.1 31.6 17.4 7.1 10,527 73.0 53.0 15.0 5.1

College, 1 or more years ...... 1,949 63.2 43.7 16.9 2.6 15,789 76.1 55.1 18.1 3.0

No degree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 750 60.8 41.4 16.0 3.4 5,983 75.8 54.5 17.0 4.4

Associate degree. . . . . . . . . . . 221 70.0 43.7 19.4 7.0 3,205 80.0 55.6 20.6 3.8

Bachelor’s degree . . . . . . . . . . 683 63.2 45.0 17.0 1.2 4,975 73.3 54.1 17.7 1.5

Graduate or professional

degree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 294 64.1 46.2 17.0 0.9 1,626 78.2 59.1 18.3 0.8

ANNUAL FAMILY INCOME

Under $10,000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 355 50.1 20.7 14.1 15.4 2,167 55.0 25.8 16.5 12.7

$10,000 to $19,999 . . . . . . . . . . . 472 43.2 26.2 12.7 4.4 2,992 66.2 42.7 16.0 7.5

$20,000 to $24,999 . . . . . . . . . . . 215 48.5 26.8 13.0 8.7 1,853 70.9 53.3 12.6 5.0

$25,000 to $29,999 . . . . . . . . . . . 194 42.7 22.9 13.9 5.9 1,819 72.2 52.4 12.3 7.4

$30,000 to $34,999 . . . . . . . . . . . 264 57.1 41.3 10.6 5.2 1,768 74.1 54.5 15.7 3.9

$35,000 to $49,999 . . . . . . . . . . . 457 60.9 37.2 18.9 4.8 4,371 75.2 54.6 16.7 3.9

$50,000 to $74,999 . . . . . . . . . . . 554 58.6 38.3 17.1 3.2 5,429 78.8 59.2 17.5 2.2

$75,000 and over . . . . . . . . . . . . 826 65.0 44.2 18.8 2.0 6,448 75.5 53.6 20.1 1.8

Not ascertained . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 428 45.9 27.7 14.9 3.3 4,056 66.6 50.5 13.0 3.2

NATIVITY

Native born . ................. 3,129 57.2 35.0 17.4 4.9 25,787 74.4 52.9 17.2 4.3

Foreign born . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 637 41.6 28.3 7.8 5.6 5,118 59.8 43.2 12.5 4.1

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, June 2002.
These data suggest that women

with higher levels of education

return to work more rapidly after

giving birth and are more likely to

return as full-time workers than are

women with fewer years of schooling. The likelihood of returning to

work after a child’s birth is highly

related to work experience prior to

and during pregnancy (for example,

hours worked per week and when

the woman stopped working).14

Demographic differences in

labor force participation

What other factors influence the

decision to return to work after

childbirth? The marital status of the

mother is related to her labor force

participation. Women who are

unmarried and who lack a spouse’s

income may be more dependent on

o

d

10 U.S. Census Bureau

14 Martin O’Connell. Maternity Leave

Arrangements: 1961-85. Current Population

Reports, P23-165. U.S. Census Bureau.

Washington, DC, 1990; Kristin Smith, Barbara

Downs and Martin O’Connell. Maternity

Leave and Employment Patterns: 1961-1995.

Current Population Reports, P70-79. U.S.

Census Bureau. Washington, DC, 2001.

their own employment to support husband. Never-married mothers

their families. However, the without infants were most likely t

absence of a husband may restrict be unemployed, while their marthe economic resources available ried counterparts were least likely

for child care services and means to be looking for work.

one fewer adult is available as a Native women with infants partici- potential child care provider. pated in the labor force at a conTable 6 shows that despite these siderably higher rate (57 percent)

potential impediments to working, than foreign-born women with

45 percent of separated, divorced, infants (42 percent). A similar difand widowed women with infants ference was evident for native an

were employed full-time — about foreign-born mothers without

the same as women who were infants (74 percent compared to 

married (36 percent) and more 60 percent), perhaps suggesting

than women who had never mar- that language or job skills influried (26 percent). Among mothers ence these differences.

in the labor force who have Young mothers, regardless of the infants, unmarried women or those age of their children, are less likely living without their spouses were to be in the labor force than older most likely to be unemployed and mothers. Thirty-nine percent of possibly in need of child care serv- teen mothers with infants were in ices or job training assistance. the labor force, compared to 

Among mothers without infants, 61 percent of new mothers age 30

those who were separated, and over. A similar pattern existed

divorced, and widowed were the among mothers without infants.

most likely to work full-time, fol- Which mothers with infants experi- lowed by those who never mar- ence the greatest difficulty in ried, then those living with a

Figure 3.

Employment Status Among Mothers 15 to 44 Years Old: June 2002

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, June 2002.

(Percent distribution)

Employed

Full-time 

34%

Employed

Part-time 

16% Unemployed

5%

Not in the

labor force

45%

Employed

Full-time 

51%

Employed

Part-time

16%

Unemployed

4%

Not in the

labor force

28%

Mothers with an infant Mothers without an infant
finding jobs? About 20 percent of

teenaged mothers who were in the

labor force were unemployed.15

Among never-married women with

infants, relatively high proportions

of those in the labor force were

unemployed compared with their

currently married counterparts.

Among all women with infants, a

significantly higher proportion with

a high school education or less was

unemployed than those with 1 or

more years of college. Among

mothers with infants living in families with incomes under $10,000

per year, 31 percent of those in the

labor force were unemployed.

In summary, these data indicate

that the majority of women with

infant children participate in the

labor force during their child’s first

year of life and twice as many are

employed full-time as part-time.

However, many teenage mothers

and women with less than a high

school education appear to experience considerable difficulty securing employment.

SOURCE OF THE DATA

Most estimates in this report come

from data obtained in the June

2002 Current Population Survey

(CPS). Some estimates are based

on data obtained by the CPS in earlier years. The U.S. Census Bureau

conducts this survey every month,

although this report uses only data

from the June surveys for its estimates. Comparative estimates on

annual births are made with data

collected in the Vital Statistics

Registration system and are published by the National Center for

Health Statistics.

The population represented (the

population universe) in the Fertility

Supplement to the June 2002 CPS is

U.S. Census Bureau 11

15 Unemployment rates (percentages) are

computed by dividing the number of people

in the unemployed category by the total

number of people in the labor force.

the female civilian noninstitutional- variables in the survey is not preized population, 15 to 44 years old, cisely known. All of these considerof the United States. The institu- ations affect comparisons across

tionalized population, which is different surveys or data sources.

excluded from the population uni- For further information on statistical verse, is composed primarily of the standards and the computation and population in correctional institu- use of standard errors, go to tions and nursing homes (91 per- www.census.gov/population/www cent of the 4.1 million institutional- /socdemo/fertility/2002/sa02.html ized population in Census 2000). or contact Jana Shepherd of the

Census Bureau Demographic ACCURACY OF THE Statistical Methods Division on the ESTIMATES

Internet at dsmd.source.and.

Statistics from surveys are subject accuracy@census.gov.

to sampling and nonsampling error.

All comparisons presented in this MORE INFORMATION

report have taken sampling error Detailed tables with characteristics into account and are significant at of women in the childbearing ages the 90-percent confidence level. by fertility indicators are available This means the 90-percent confi- on the Internet (www.census.gov); dence interval for the difference search by clicking on “F” for between the estimates being com- “Fertility of American Women Data” pared does not include zero. under the “Subjects A to Z” heading Nonsampling errors in surveys may on the Census Bureau home page. be attributed to a variety of

sources, such as how the survey CONTACTS

was designed, how respondents

For additional information on these interpret questions, how able and

willing respondents are to provide topics, contact the author of this

report: correct answers, and how accurately the answers are coded and classi- Barbara Downs

fied. The Census Bureau employs barbara.a.downs@census.gov

quality control procedures through- 301-763-2449

out the production process including the overall design of surveys, USER COMMENTS

the wording of questions, review of The Census Bureau welcomes the the work of interviewers and comments and advice of users of coders, and statistical review of its data and reports. If you have reports to minimize these errors. any suggestions or comments,

The Current Population Survey please write to:

weighting procedure uses ratio esti- Chief, Population Division

mation whereby sample estimates U.S. Census Bureau

are adjusted to independent esti- Washington, DC 20233-8800

mates of the national population by Or send an e-mail inquiry to: age, race, sex, and Hispanic origin. pop@census.gov This weighting partially corrects for

bias due to undercoverage, but SUGGESTED CITATION biases may still be present when

people who are missed by the sur- Downs, Barbara. Fertility of

vey differ from those interviewed in American Women: June 2002.

ways other than age, race, sex, and Current Population Reports, P20-

Hispanic origin. How this weight- 548. U.S. Census Bureau,

ing procedure affects other Washington, DC. 2003. 
U.S. Department of Commerce

FIRST-CLASS MAIL Economics and Statistics Administration POSTAGE & FEES PAID

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU U.S. Census Bureau

Washington, DC 20233 Permit No. G-58

OFFICIAL BUSINESS

Penalty for Private Use $300