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

Helping You Make Informed Decisions

U.S. Department of Commerce

Economics and Statistics Administration

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU

Fertility of American Women:

June 2004

Population Characteristics

P20-555

Issued December 2005

Current

Population

Reports

By 

Jane Lawler Dye

INTRODUCTION Data from NCHS indicate that fertility

rates have fluctuated since the peak of This report describes fertility patterns of the Baby Boom in the late 1950s, when American women and is based on data the total fertility rate was more than 3.5 collected in the June 2004 supplement to

1 births per woman.3 By the mid-1970s, the Current Population Survey (CPS). the rate had fallen by one-half to about Unlike fertility statistics from the National 1.8 births per woman. During the past Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), which decade, the rate has fluctuated between are compiled from birth certificates, CPS 2.0 and 2.1 births per woman, close to data are collected from two survey ques- the rate required for natural replacement tions asked of women 15 to 44 years old: of the population (about 2.1 births per (1) “How many children have you ever woman).4

had?” and (2) “What is the date of birth of

your last child?” The report provides esti- CURRENT FERTILITY

mates of recent fertility and nonmarital

childbearing, highlighting differences Overall Patterns of Fertility

among women by race, Hispanic origin, Table 1 shows fertility indicators for and nativity status. women in June 2004 by age, race, and

Historical data from previous surveys are Hispanic origin.5 Of the 61.6 million

also used in this report to show the fluctuations since 1976 in the labor force 3 The total fertility rate for any given year is a

hypothetical estimate of completed fertility. It indiparticipation of women with infants (chil- cates how many births a woman would have by the

dren under 1 year of age).2 Mothers’ end of her reproductive life if, for all of her childbearing years, she were to experience the agelabor force participation is also examined specific birth rates for that given year. From 1955

according to the number of years since to 1959, the total fertility rate ranged from 3,579 to

3,712 births per 1,000 women, which translates to

the last birth. In addition, this report 3.6 to 3.7 births per woman. (Vital Statistics of the

illustrates how women completing their United States, 1999. Volume I, Natality.

<www.cdc.gov/nchs/datawh/statab/unpubd

childbearing today differ from women /natality/natab99.htm> Detailed table 1-7.) 

whose principal childbearing occurred 4 The level required for the natural replacement of

the population is the average number of children a during the latter Baby Boom years of the woman must have to replace herself with a female livlate 1950s and early 1960s. ing to the average age of childbearing. Taking into

account that slightly more boys than girls are born

and that not all children survive to the childbearing

ages, this level is about 2.1 births per woman. 1 The data in this report are from the Fertility 5 The estimates in this report (which may be

Supplement to the June 2004 Current Population shown in text, figures, and tables) are based on

Survey. The population represented (the population responses from a sample of the population and may

universe) is the female civilian noninstitutionalized differ from actual values because of sampling varipopulation 15 to 44 years old living in the ability or other factors. As a result, apparent differUnited States. ences between the estimates for two or more groups 2 Women with a birth in the last year are also may not be statistically significant. All comparative

referred to as women or mothers with infants. The statements have undergone statistical testing and

measure does not take living arrangements into are significant at the 90-percent confidence level

account. unless otherwise noted.
2 U.S. Census Bureau

Table 1.

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

June 2004

(Numbers in thousands)

Women who had a child in the last year

Births per 1,000 women Children Characteristic First births ever born

Number of Percent Margin of per 1,000 per 1,000 1 women childless Number Rate error women women

AGE

Total ............................ 61,588 44.6 3,746 60.8 2.2 23.9 1,182

15 to 19 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9,964 93.3 385 38.7 4.5 22.1 96

20 to 24 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10,068 68.9 882 87.6 6.6 43.0 489

25 to 29 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9,498 44.2 938 98.7 7.1 40.2 1,060

30 to 34 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10,082 27.6 946 93.8 6.8 28.4 1,564

35 to 39 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10,442 19.6 443 42.4 4.6 11.5 1,844

40 to 44 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11,535 19.3 153 13.2 2.5 2.8 1,895

RACE AND HISPANIC ORIGIN

White alone

Total ............................ 47,984 45.1 2,881 60.0 2.5 23.2 1,159

15 to 19 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,646 93.9 262 34.2 4.9 21.3 85

20 to 24 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,790 70.8 670 86.0 7.4 44.6 443

25 to 29 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,309 45.6 726 99.4 8.2 40.6 1,006

30 to 34 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,790 28.4 764 98.1 7.9 26.9 1,518

35 to 39 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8,212 20.2 337 41.0 5.1 8.8 1,825

40 to 44 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9,237 19.1 122 13.2 2.8 2.7 1,878

White alone, non-Hispanic

Total ............................ 39,120 47.0 2,114 54.0 2.7 22.4 1,091

15 to 19 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6,174 95.5 169 27.4 4.9 17.3 64

20 to 24 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6,252 75.4 424 67.8 7.4 40.2 358

25 to 29 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,699 49.6 543 95.3 9.1 42.0 896

30 to 34 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6,242 30.9 599 96.0 8.7 31.1 1,389

35 to 39 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6,784 21.3 289 42.6 5.7 9.6 1,746

40 to 44 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,968 20.0 90 11.3 2.8 2.4 1,811

Black alone

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8,798 40.5 515 58.5 5.8 21.8 1,361

15 to 19 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,571 90.4 92 58.8 13.9 26.8 147

20 to 24 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,495 57.0 140 93.6 17.6 36.1 742

25 to 29 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,370 33.3 125 91.0 18.1 28.2 1,491

30 to 34 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,408 18.9 84 59.6 14.7 18.6 1,952

35 to 39 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,431 17.0 57 39.9 12.1 16.8 2,020

40 to 44 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,523 21.3 17 11.1 6.3 4.7 1,938

Asian alone

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,035 47.2 230 75.8 11.2 38.1 1,031

15 to 19 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 383 94.7 18 46.4 25.1 19.5 94

20 to 24 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 443 80.8 34 76.5 29.5 30.4 341

25 to 29 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 549 50.4 59 107.3 30.9 66.1 771

30 to 34 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 595 40.0 68 114.5 30.5 63.3 1,103

35 to 39 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 559 19.0 38 68.6 25.0 36.2 1,592

40 to 44 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 505 17.8 13 25.6 16.4 1.2 1,923

Hispanic (any race)

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9,618 37.1 817 84.9 8.6 28.0 1,454

15 to 19 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,588 87.9 93 58.4 17.8 35.5 163

20 to 24 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,684 52.8 273 162.0 27.2 66.8 780

25 to 29 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,744 31.5 194 111.5 22.9 34.8 1,408

30 to 34 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,700 18.6 177 104.0 22.4 15.3 2,029

35 to 39 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,524 15.1 48 31.7 13.6 4.9 2,192

40 to 44 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,378 13.8 32 22.9 12.2 4.4 2,301

1 This number, when added to or subtracted from the estimated birth rate in each category, represents the 90-percent confidence interval

around the estimate.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, June 2004.
women who were 15 to 44 years

old in June 2004, 3.7 million gave

birth in the preceding 12 months;

1.5 million were first births.6

These births reflect an estimated

fertility rate in the past year of 61

births per 1,000 women 15 to 44

years old and a corresponding

first-birth rate of 24 births per

1,000 women. In 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 2004 per 1,000

women in the specified age and/or

characteristic group at the time of

the survey.

Fertility Differences by 

Race and Hispanic Origin

The fertility rate for Hispanic

women in 2004 was 85 births per

1,000 women 15 to 44 years old

(Table 1).7 Among Hispanic

women, 817,000 gave birth in the

year prior to the survey, representing 22 percent of all births. Singlerace non-Hispanic White women

U.S. Census Bureau 3

6 Vital statistics estimates for the calendar

year 2003 indicate that there were about 4.1

million births, of which 1.6 million were first

births. (Joyce A. Martin, Brady E. Hamilton,

Paul D. Sutton, et al. “Births: Final data for

2003.” National Vital Statistics Reports; Vol.

54, No. 2. National Center for Health

Statistics, Hyattsville, MD, 2005, Table 2.)

Taking into account that 10 days of births

were not collected in the June 2004 CPS, that

only births to women 15 to 44 years are

counted in the CPS, and that the CPS counts

only women and not births occurring in multiple deliveries, a comparative number of vital

statistics births for 2003 would be about 4.0

million, indicating that the CPS estimate is

lower than the estimated number based on

vital statistics reports. 7 Federal surveys now give respondents

the option of reporting more than one race.

Therefore, two basic ways of defining a race

group are possible. A group such as Asian

may be defined as those who reported Asian

and no other race (the race-alone or singlerace concept) or as those who reported Asian

regardless of whether they also reported

another race (the race-alone-or-incombination concept). The body of this

report (text, figures, and tables) shows data

for women who reported they were the single race White and not Hispanic, women who

reported the single race Black, and women

who reported the single race Asian. Use of

had more births in the past year

(2.1 million), while their fertility

rate (54 births per 1,000 women)

was lower than that of Hispanic

women.8

Based on the number of children

ever born to women 40 to 44 years

old in 2004, Hispanic women, with

an average of 2.3 births, were the

one group that exceeded the level

required for natural replacement of

the population (about 2.1 births per

woman). Black and non-Hispanic

White women 40 to 44 years old

had fertility levels below the

replacement level, ranging from

about 1.8 to 1.9 births per woman.

Corresponding to their relatively

high level of completed fertility, 

14 percent of Hispanic women 40

to 44 years old were childless,

compared with about 20 percent to 

21 percent of Black women and

non-Hispanic White women. The

percent childless for Black and nonHispanic White women 40 to 44

years old are not statistically

different. 

the single-race populations does not imply

that it is the preferred method of presenting

or analyzing data. The U.S. Census Bureau

uses a variety of approaches. 

The appendix table shows data on

selected fertility characteristics for women

who reported they were White, Black, or

Asian, including women who reported that

race alone, women who reported that race in

combination with another race, and women

who reported that race regardless of whether

they also reported another race. For further

information, see the Census 2000 Brief

Overview of Race and Hispanic Origin: 2000

(C2KBR/01-1) <www.census.gov

/population/www/cen2000/briefs.html>.

The CPS uses five categories to describe

race: White, Black, Asian, American Indian

and Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian and

Other Pacific Islander. People of Hispanic origin may be 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 2004 CPS, 3.4 percent of the

single-race Black population and 1.7 percent

of the single-race Asian population were also

Hispanic. 8 For the remainder of this text, the

phrase “non-Hispanic White women” is used

to designate women who reported they were

the single race White and not Hispanic.

Fertility Differences by

Nativity Status

Table 2 shows that 9.5 million

foreign-born women 15 to 44

years old lived in the United States

in June 2004, representing 15 percent of women of childbearing

ages.9 In the year prior to the survey, 794,000 foreign-born women

gave birth, resulting in a fertility

rate of 84 births per 1,000 women

in this group. Thirty-seven percent

of births to foreign-born women in

the previous year were first births

(31 first births per 1,000 women).

While the number of native women

who gave birth in the previous

year was almost 4 times that of

foreign-born women, the corresponding fertility rates for native

women were lower, at 57 births

per 1,000 women and 23 first

births per 1,000 women. 

Among foreign-born women 15 to

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

2004 (94 births per 1,000 women)

than non-Hispanics (74 births per

1,000 women) and a higher average

number of births per woman (1.7

and 1.2, respectively).10 Consistent

with their higher fertility rates,

foreign-born Hispanic women were

less likely to be childless (26 percent) than were non-Hispanic

foreign-born women (42 percent).

In 2004, 55 percent of births to

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

Rico, the island areas of the United States

(American Samoa, Guam, the Northern

Mariana Islands, or the Virgin Islands), or

abroad to at least one U.S. citizen parent.

“Foreign born” refers to all other people.

The CPS sample does not include Puerto Rico

or the U.S. island areas. 10 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 June 2004 CPS. Hispanic women who

were foreign born had an estimated total fertility rate of 2.8 births per woman, compared with 2.2 births per woman for nonHispanic women who were foreign born. 
4 U.S. Census Bureau

Table 2.

Fertility Indicators for Women 15 to 44 Years Old by Selected Characteristics: June 2004

(Numbers in thousands)

Characteristic

Number of

women

Percent

childless

Women who had a child in the last year1

Children

ever born

per 1,000

Number women

Births

per 1,000

women

First births

per 1,000

women

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

NATIVITY AND HISPANIC ORIGIN

61,588 44.6 3,746 60.8 23.9 1,182

Native . . . ................................ 52,107 46.5 2,953 56.7 22.7 1,134

Hispanic (any race) ..................... 4,968 47.4 380 76.6 28.6 1,199

Not Hispanic ........................... 47,139 46.4 2,572 54.6 22.0 1,127

White alone, non-Hispanic ............. 37,460 47.2 2,002 53.4 21.8 1,087

Foreign born ............................. 9,481 34.3 794 83.7 30.9 1,446

Hispanic (any race) ..................... 4,650 26.2 436 93.8 27.3 1,727

Not Hispanic ........................... 4,831 42.1 358 74.0 34.4 1,177

White alone, non-Hispanic..............

MARITAL STATUS

1,660 42.3 112 67.5 35.7 1,191

Currently married ......................... 29,909 19.0 2,557 85.5 31.0 1,771

Married, husband present ................ 27,586 18.7 2,416 87.6 32.4 1,764

Married, husband absent . . .............. 784 30.6 69 88.5 35.9 1,568

Married, separated ...................... 1,539 17.8 73 47.1 3.2 2,006

Divorced or widowed ...................... 5,294 20.8 145 27.3 7.0 1,724

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

EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT

26,385 78.5 1,044 39.6 19.3 406

Not a high school graduate ................ 12,965 61.4 748 57.7 18.1 962

High school graduate ..................... 16,137 31.8 1,086 67.3 24.6 1,461

College, 1 or more years ................... 32,486 44.3 1,913 58.9 25.9 1,132

No degree . ............................ 12,667 47.6 671 53.0 19.1 1,091

Associate’s degree . ..................... 5,335 31.0 295 55.3 26.8 1,417

Bachelor’s degree ...................... 10,807 47.4 681 63.0 30.7 1,055

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

LABOR FORCE STATUS

3,678 42.5 267 72.5 33.9 1,085

In labor force . . . .......................... 42,621 44.5 2,046 48.0 20.7 1,153

Employed .............................. 39,441 44.0 1,824 46.2 20.2 1,160

Unemployed ........................... 3,180 50.5 223 70.0 26.3 1,070

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

ANNUAL FAMILY INCOME2

18,967 44.9 1,700 89.6 31.3 1,248

Under $20,000 . . . ........................ 9,077 40.8 782 86.2 27.3 1,379

$20,000 to $34,999 ....................... 9,641 41.4 641 66.5 24.0 1,264

$35,000 to $49,999 ....................... 8,149 44.5 465 57.1 24.3 1,150

$50,000 to $74,999 ....................... 10,659 46.0 588 55.2 23.3 1,128

$75,000 to $99,999 ....................... 6,629 45.6 388 58.5 26.9 1,087

$100,000 and over ........................ 7,183 48.8 362 50.4 19.2 1,073

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

REGION OF RESIDENCE3

10,249 46.2 520 50.7 22.6 1,152

Northeast ................................ 11,412 48.0 656 57.5 22.3 1,099

Midwest . ................................ 13,703 43.7 898 65.5 24.7 1,211

South ................................... 22,182 42.5 1,338 60.3 23.9 1,203

West . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14,291 46.1 854 59.8 24.6 1,189

1 Since the number of women who 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 counted only 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 whose children were not born in

the United States and births to nonresident women who gave birth 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. 2 Family income is asked of all respondents regardless of living arrangements. For people living alone, the income data are for these individuals. For other

people living in nonfamily households (i.e., households with no members who are related to the householder), it is presumed that the respondent listed only his

or her own income. 3 Region is defined as the four groupings of states and the District of Columbia (Northeast, Midwest, South, and West) established by the U.S. Census

Bureau in 1942 for the presentation of census data. Northeast Region: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York,

New Jersey, Pennsylvania. Midwest Region: Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska,

Kansas. South Region: Delaware, Maryland, District of Columbia, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Tennessee,

Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas. West Region: Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Nevada,

Washington, Oregon, California, Alaska, Hawaii.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, June 2004.
foreign-born women were to Hispanic and non-Hispanic native

Hispanic women, who represented women was the relatively higher

49 percent of foreign-born women fertility of Hispanic women 20 to

in the childbearing ages. 24 years old. 

Among native women, fertility DEMOGRAPHIC

rates for Hispanic women were DIFFERENCES IN FERTILITY

also higher than those of nonHispanic women (77 births per Nonmarital Childbearing

1,000 and 55 births per 1,000, Estimates from the June 2004 CPS respectively), while their levels of indicate that 1.2 million women

childlessness were not different. had a nonmarital birth in the previ- One reason for the difference in ous 12-month period, representing overall fertility rates between 32 percent of all births to women

aged 15 to 44 (Figure 1). About

1.0 million births were to nevermarried women, while 145,000

were to women who were divorced

or widowed at the time of the survey (Table 2). These estimates

may vary slightly from the vital

statistics reported by NCHS

because marital status in the CPS is

recorded at the time of the survey

and not at the time of the birth.11

Some women in the CPS who gave

birth in the last year may have

subsequently married or divorced

by the time of the survey.

Nonmarital childbearing occurs

more frequently among younger

women (Figure 1). In 2004, 

88 percent of births to teenage

women were nonmarital, compared

with 52 percent of births to women

in their early twenties. Black

women and Hispanic women had

larger proportions of nonmarital

births (62 percent and 32 percent,

respectively) than non-Hispanic

White women and Asian women (25

percent and 24 percent, respectively). The proportions of nonmarital births to non-Hispanic White

and Asian women are not significantly different. The proportion of

nonmarital births among foreignborn women was somewhat lower

(26 percent) than among native

women (33 percent). Figure 1 also

shows an inverse relationship

between educational attainment

and the proportion of births to

unmarried women. The majority of

births to women without a high

school diploma were nonmarital (52

percent), compared with 9 percent

of births to women with a graduate

or professional degree.

U.S. Census Bureau 5

11 Vital statistics estimates for the calendar year 2003 indicate that unmarried

women of all ages had 1.4 million births or

34.6 percent of all births. (Joyce A. Martin,

Brady E. Hamilton, Paul D. Sutton, et al.

“Births: Final data for 2003.” National Vital

Statistics Reports; Vol. 54, No. 2. National

Center for Health Statistics, Hyattsville, MD,

2005, Table D.)

Figure 1.

Nonmarital Births by Age, Race, Hispanic Origin, 

Nativity, and Educational Attainment: June 2004

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, June 2004.

(Percent of births born in the preceeding 12 months to women who were 

never married, divorced, or widowed in specified categories)

 Graduate or professional degree

 Bachelor’s degree

 Associate’s degree

 Some college, no degree

High school graduate

Not a high school graduate

EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT

Foreign born

Native

NATIVITY

Hispanic (any race)

Asian alone

Black alone

White alone, non-Hispanic

RACE AND HISPANIC ORIGIN

30 to 44 years

25 to 29 years

20 to 24 years

15 to 19 years

AGE

All women

9

32

88

52

22

12

25

62

24

32

33

26

52

40

31

20

11
Demographic Differences 

in Childbearing

Table 2 shows that women whose

highest level of education was a

high school diploma or an associate’s degree had the highest rates of

children ever born among women

aged 15 to 44 (1.5 births per

woman and 1.4 births per woman,

respectively—rates that were not

statistically different from each

other). Women who had completed

a graduate or professional degree,

bachelor’s degree, or high school

diploma had birth rates in the past

year of 73 births per 1,000 women,

63 per 1,000 women, and 67 per

1,000 women, respectively, which

were not statistically different.

Women who were not in the labor

force had a higher birth rate (90 per

1,000 women) and higher average

number of children ever born (1.3

births per woman) than women

who were in the labor force (48 per

1,000 women and 1.2 births per

woman, respectively). It is likely

that some women intentionally do

not participate in the labor force in

order to be stay-at-home mothers.12 

Women with lower family incomes

(under $20,000 per year) had

higher fertility rates than women

in other income groups.13 Women

with annual family incomes of

$100,000 and over were more

likely than women with annual

family incomes below $20,000 to

be childless (49 percent compared

with 41 percent). Women in the

Northeast were more likely to be

childless (48 percent) than women

6 U.S. Census Bureau

12 Research from the March 2003 Annual

Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) to

the Current Population Survey (CPS) shows

that, of the 2.3 million married women who

were living with their husband and who had

an infant under 1 year of age, 855,000 were

out of the labor force for the entire year.

Among this group, 810,000 stated that they

were not working in order to take care of

their family and children. <www.census.gov

/population/socdemo/hh-fam/cps2003

/tabFG8-all.pdf>. 13 Family income is asked of all respondents regardless of living arrangements. For

people living alone, the income data are for

the individual. For other people living in

nonfamily households (i.e., households with

no members who are related to the householder), the income data presumably are for

the individual respondent.

in the other three regions (ranging

from 43 percent to 46 percent).14

Births to Cohabiting Women

Cohabitation between unmarried,

opposite-sex partners may increase

the likelihood that a woman will

have a nonmarital birth.15 Among

the 34 million women of childbearing age in 2004 who were not married with their husband present, 

3.7 million were living with an

opposite-sex partner and 238,000

of them had given birth in the last

year (Table 3).16 Among the latter

14 Footnote 3 in Table 2 lists the states in

each census-defined region. 15 Amara Bachu, Trends in Premarital

Childbearing: 1930 to 1994, Current

Population Reports P23-197, U.S. Census

Bureau, Washington, DC, 1999. 16 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 who are

not living together in the same household,

or where 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.

Table 3.

Fertility Indicators for Women 15 to 44 Years Old by Cohabitation Status and Marital

Status: June 2004

(Numbers in thousands)

Cohabitation status

Number of

women

Average

age in

years

Percent

childless

Women who had a child in the last year

Children

ever born

per 1,000

Number women

Births per

1,000

women

First births

per 1,000

women

Total . . ........................... 61,588 29.9 44.6 3,746 60.8 23.9 1,182

Married, husband present ............... 27,586 34.4 18.7 2,416 87.6 32.4 1,764

Other than married, husband present1 . . . 34,002 29.2 65.6 1,331 39.1 17.1 710

Opposite-sex partner in household ..... 3,656 29.2 50.3 238 65.1 29.7 991

Ever married1 ..................... 1,152 34.5 24.7 45 39.0 2.4 1,644

Never married ..................... 2,504 26.8 62.0 193 77.0 42.2 690

No opposite-sex partner in household . . 30,346 25.9 67.5 1,093 36.0 15.5 677

Ever married1 ..................... 6,465 35.3 20.5 242 37.4 10.4 1,787

Never married ..................... 23,880 23.3 80.2 852 35.7 16.9 376

1 Includes married, husband absent; separated, divorced, or widowed.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, June 2004.
group, the birth rate was lower than

that of women living with a husband (65 births and 88 births per

1,000 women, respectively) and

higher than the rate for women living without an unmarried partner

(36 births per 1,000 women).

Never-married cohabiting women

were more likely to have given birth

in the last year than cohabiting

women who had ever married 

(77 births and 39 births per 1,000

women, respectively).17 Birth rates

for women who were married and

living with a husband (88 births per

1,000 women) were not statistically

different from the birth rates for

never-married women living with a

cohabiting partner (77 births per

1,000 women).

First-birth rates were highest

among never-married cohabiting

women, followed by women living

with their husband (42 births and

U.S. Census Bureau 7

17 Birth rates for women with no cohabiting partner (36 births per 1,000 women)

were not statistically different from birth

rates of women who had ever married and

were living with a cohabiting partner (39

births per 1,000 women). 

32 births per 1,000 women,

respectively). In contrast, the firstbirth rate for never-married women

without a cohabiting partner was

17 births per 1,000 women. Data

on the average number of children

ever born by marital and cohabitation status, which reflects cumulative childbearing to date, show

that women were more likely to

have had children if they were currently or had ever been married

than if they had never been married, regardless of their current

cohabitation status. These differences in fertility by marital status

among women aged 15 to 44

reflect differences in average age,

as shown in Table 3.

LABOR FORCE

CHARACTERISTICS OF

MOTHERS

Changes in Labor Force

Patterns Since 1976

Changes in the labor force participation of mothers who had a birth

in the past year may point to

changes in the need for child care

and maternity leave arrangements

in upcoming years. In addition,

they may signal changes in childrearing practices, methods of balancing work and family life, and

future childbearing and birthspacing trends.18 Since 1990, the

majority of mothers who had a

birth in the previous year were in

the labor force, reaching a high of

59 percent in 1998 (Figure 2).19

The labor force participation rate

fell to 55 percent in 2000, where it

remained in 2002 and 2004.

Current Labor Force

Participation

Table 4 indicates differences in

labor force participation rates

among mothers with a birth in the

past year. Historically, labor force

participation rates among women

with one child have usually been

higher than for women with two or

more children. In 2004, 60 percent of women with one child were

in the labor force, compared with

51 percent of women with two or

more children. Women 30 and

older also had higher labor force

participation rates than teenage

mothers (59 percent and 40 percent, respectively), and nonHispanic White mothers had higher

labor force participation rates than

Hispanic mothers (60 percent and

48 percent, respectively). Women

with a college degree (associate’s,

18 Martin O’Connell, “Childbearing,”

Continuity and Change in the American

Family, ed. Lynne M. Casper and Suzanne M.

Bianchi. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage

Publications, 2002: 67–94. 19 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 15 to 44

years old who have had at least one live birth,

regardless of whether any of their children

currently reside with them. In this report,

mothers with infants are identified through a

recent birth to the mother and are also

referred to as mothers with children under 1

year (less than 12 months) old. Similarly,

mothers whose last birth was a number of

years ago are referred to as mothers with a

youngest child of corresponding ages. 

Figure 2.

Labor Force Participation Rates for Mothers With a 

Birth in the Last Year: 1976 to 2004

1

 Prior to 1990, labor force participation was only collected for women 18 and older.

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

June 1976 to June 2004.

(Percent of all women aged 15 to 44 who were in the labor force and had 

a child in the last 12 months1)

1976 1978 1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1998 2000 2002 2004

55

31

35

38

44

47

50 51 53 54 53

59

55 55
bachelor’s, or graduate/profes- with more recent births. Fifty-five categories of duration since the last

sional) had higher labor force par- percent of mothers whose last birth birth shown in Figure 3 are noted

ticipation rates (76 percent, was less than 1 year ago were in for the percentage of women unem60 percent, and 70 percent, the labor force, compared with ployed (a range of 4 percent to 

respectively) than mothers with a 80 percent of mothers whose last 6 percent) or employed part-time

high school diploma or less educa- birth was 12 or more years ago. (14 percent to 17 percent).

tion (52 percent and 36 percent, The proportion of mothers working

respectively). full-time is also associated with the Demographic Differences in

Labor Force Participation amount of time since their last Figure 3 shows the employment birth, ranging from 35 percent of Labor force participation patterns status of mothers based on when mothers with infants to 62 percent are also influenced by the age and their last child was born. Overall, of women whose last birth was 12 particular childbearing characteris- the labor force participation of or more years ago. Smaller differ- tics of mothers (Table 5). Among mothers is lower among mothers ences between the various

8 U.S. Census Bureau

Table 4.

Labor Force Participation Rates for Mothers 15 to 44 Years Old With a Birth in the Last

Year by Selected Characteristics: Selected Years, 1990 to 2004

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

Characteristic 1990 1992 1994 1998 2000 2002 2004

Total number of mothers with a

birth in the last year ............ 3,913 *3,688 *3,890 *3,671 *3,934 3,766 3,746

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

AGE

52.8 53.8 53.1 *58.7 *55.2 54.6 54.6

15 to 19 years ....................... 42.8 35.1 39.3 43.2 46.0 38.9 40.1

20 to 24 years ....................... 45.5 46.2 51.0 56.4 51.9 54.7 52.7

25 to 29 years ....................... 55.3 58.4 54.5 *61.9 59.5 54.0 55.1

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

CHILDREN EVER BORN

58.9 59.8 57.1 *63.0 *57.7 60.9 59.1

One child ............................ 59.7 59.4 59.0 60.8 57.5 59.8 59.8

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

RACE AND HISPANIC ORIGIN

48.4 50.2 48.9 *57.3 53.5 51.5 51.3

White alone . ......................... 54.5 54.2 55.4 58.4 *53.1 53.8 56.1

White alone, non-Hispanic ........... (NA) (NA) 59.2 61.6 *56.8 56.8 59.5

Black alone .......................... 46.9 54.4 47.0 *63.0 65.8 *57.4 55.2

Asian alone . ......................... 48.0 44.7 37.7 49.9 56.3 51.1 *34.9

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

MARITAL STATUS

43.8 37.4 37.7 *45.7 41.8 45.2 48.3

Married, husband present . . ........... 56.4 56.8 54.5 *59.5 *54.1 55.4 55.3

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

EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT2

43.5 43.5 *49.7 *57.1 57.2 53.3 53.5

Not a high school graduate ............ 31.5 29.8 33.5 37.7 39.0 *32.2 35.6

High school graduate ................. 51.9 *56.8 *48.1 *58.4 55.0 56.1 52.3

College, 1 or more years .............. 65.3 63.4 66.2 67.9 *63.5 63.2 63.3

No degree ......................... 62.8 59.1 59.9 66.4 64.9 60.8 58.6

Associate’s degree ................. (NA) 68.9 71.1 69.7 59.5 70.0 75.6

Bachelor’s degree . . . ............... 68.0 65.0 66.5 66.5 63.2 63.3 60.1

Graduate or professional degree ..... (NA) 71.6 82.4 73.6 65.2 64.0 70.0

* Indicates a statistically significant difference from the previous survey at the 90-percent confidence level.

(NA) Not available.

1 Includes married, husband absent; separated, divorced, widowed, and never-married women. 2 Educational attainment categories in 1990 based on years of school completed. In 1990, no degree includes associate’s degree;

bachelor’s degree includes graduate or professional degree.

Note: Data are not available for 1996.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey for selected years, June 1990 to 2004.
those with an infant in 2004,

mothers aged 30 to 44 were more

likely to work full-time (41 percent)

than mothers aged 20 to 24 

(32 percent) and mothers aged 15

to 19 (13 percent). A larger proportion of young mothers aged 15

to 19 with infants were unemployed, compared with mothers 30

to 44 years old (11 percent and 

4 percent, respectively).20 Among

mothers aged 20 to 24, approximately 6 out of 10 mothers were

participating in the labor force by

the time their youngest child was 1

or 2 years old. Mothers with an

infant who had two or more children were less likely to be in the

labor force (51 percent) and less

likely to be employed full-time (31

percent) than mothers whose only

child was an infant (60 percent and

41 percent, respectively). 

U.S. Census Bureau 9

20 The percentage of mothers aged 15 to

19 with a birth in the last year who were

working full-time (13 percent) was not statistically different from the percentage unemployed in the same age group (11 percent).

Sixty percent of non-Hispanic

White mothers with infants were in

the labor force, not statistically different from the proportion of Black

mothers with infants (55 percent).

No difference was found in the

proportions of these mothers

working at full-time jobs. NonHispanic White women with infants

were more likely to be part-time

workers (18 percent) and less

likely to be unemployed (5 percent) than Black mothers (6 percent and 14 percent, respectively).

Among Black mothers whose most

recent birth was 1 to 2 years ago,

71 percent were in the labor force,

compared with 81 percent for Black

mothers whose most recent birth

was 12 or more years ago.

Hispanic women reported larger differences by when their last child

was born (from 48 percent of those

whose youngest child was 1 to 2

years old to 77 percent of those

with a 12-year-old or older child). 

Among mothers with children 1 or

2 years old, married mothers with

their husband present were the

least likely to be in the labor force

(56 percent). The labor force participation rate of mothers with a

husband present whose youngest

child was at least 12 years old 

(78 percent) was lower than the

rates for mothers with similarly

aged children in other marital

status categories (ranging from 

81 percent to 83 percent in the

labor force).

Among mothers whose youngest

child was 1 to 2 years old, about

three-quarters of those with an

associate’s degree or a graduate/

professional degree were in the

labor force. Mothers with less

than a high school diploma whose

youngest child was 1 to 12 years

old had the lowest labor force participation rates (42 percent to 

62 percent). 

Labor force participation also varied

by annual family income. Labor

force participation rates of mothers

with infants whose family income

was $50,000 to $74,999 were

among the highest (65 percent).

Mothers with infants with a family

income under $20,000 had among

the lowest labor force participation

rates (47 percent). Twenty percent

of the mothers with incomes below

$20,000 were employed full-time

and 13 percent were unemployed.

COMPLETED FERTILITY

Most of the statistics previously

described in this report show current childbearing and labor force

patterns. This section shows fertility characteristics of women near

the end of their childbearing

years.21 Table 6 shows that among

21 Of the 4.1 million births to women in

2003, less than 1 percent were to women

over age 44. (Joyce A. Martin, Brady E.

Hamilton, Paul D. Sutton, et al. “Births: Final

data for 2003.” National Vital Statistics

Reports; Vol. 54, No. 2. National Center for

Health Statistics, Hyattsville, MD, 2005,

Table 2.)

Figure 3.

Labor Force Participation of Mothers 15 to 44 by 

Years Since Last Birth: June 2004

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, June 2004.

(Percent in the labor force)

Employed full-time

Employed part-time

Unemployed

Less than 1 1 to 2 3 to 5 6 to 11 12 or more

55

61

67

75

80

35

14

6

39

16

6

47

16

4

55

17

4

62

14

5

Years since last birth
10 U.S. Census Bureau

Table 5.

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

Selected Characteristics: June 2004

(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 Last birth

Last Last Last 12 or

Number Number birth 1 to birth 3 to birth 6 to more

of Unem- of 2 years 5 years 11 years years

mothers Total Full-time Part-time ployed mothers ago ago ago ago

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,746 54.6 34.8 13.9 5.9 30,363 60.5 67.1 75.0 79.7

AGE

15 to 19 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 385 40.1 13.1 16.3 10.7 281 43.7 80.9 (X) (X)

20 to 24 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 882 52.7 31.5 12.6 8.7 2,252 58.4 67.4 71.2 (X)

25 to 29 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 938 55.1 37.4 13.3 4.4 4,366 61.0 66.4 77.8 75.9

30 to 44 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,542 59.1 40.5 14.4 4.1 23,464 62.2 67.1 74.7 79.7

CHILDREN EVER BORN AND

AGE OF WOMAN

One child . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,474 59.8 41.4 12.7 5.7 9,131 65.4 72.1 80.9 80.1

15 to 19 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221 44.4 17.7 17.4 9.4 234 47.0 79.8 (X) (X)

20 to 24 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . 433 55.6 35.6 11.4 8.6 1,412 62.9 72.7 74.7 (X)

25 to 29 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . 382 65.0 48.3 13.9 2.8 1,847 68.1 66.9 79.4 64.4

30 to 44 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . 438 67.0 53.0 10.6 3.4 5,637 69.5 75.4 81.8 80.3

Two or more children . . . . . . . . . 2,273 51.3 30.5 14.7 6.1 21,232 57.7 64.9 72.9 79.5

15 to 19 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164 34.3 6.9 14.8 12.5 47 (B) (B) (X) (X)

20 to 24 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . 449 50.0 27.5 13.7 8.8 840 53.2 53.8 39.4 (X)

25 to 29 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . 556 48.2 29.8 12.9 5.5 2,518 56.8 66.0 75.8 100.0

30 to 44 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,104 55.9 35.6 16.0 4.4 17,826 59.7 65.3 72.8 79.5

RACE AND HISPANIC

ORIGIN

White alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,881 56.1 35.0 15.9 5.2 23,441 58.5 64.9 75.0 79.8

White alone, non-Hispanic . . 2,114 59.5 36.7 18.1 4.7 18,607 62.0 67.0 75.4 80.5

Black alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 515 55.2 35.3 6.2 13.8 4,721 71.0 78.3 79.1 80.8

Asian alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230 34.9 26.2 8.1 0.6 1,374 59.1 67.0 68.2 81.3

Hispanic (any race) . . . . . . . . . . 817 48.3 32.4 10.0 6.0 5,231 48.3 59.3 72.6 76.7

NATIVITY

Native . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,953 58.8 36.8 15.9 6.1 24,926 64.1 70.2 76.5 80.2

Foreign born . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 794 39.0 27.1 6.5 5.4 5,436 46.4 55.4 67.8 76.8

MARITAL STATUS

Married, husband present . . . . . 2,416 55.3 38.9 13.3 3.0 20,010 55.7 62.2 72.0 78.2

Married, husband absent or

separated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142 49.4 23.8 13.9 11.7 1,668 72.9 71.5 81.1 81.8

Divorced or widowed . . . . . . . . . 145 54.8 33.0 14.3 7.5 4,050 74.8 80.4 85.6 82.7

Never married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,044 53.8 26.9 15.2 11.7 4,635 69.1 77.7 75.9 80.9

EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT

Not a high school graduate . . . . 748 35.6 16.5 10.4 8.7 4,252 42.3 54.2 60.5 61.9

High school, 4 years . . . . . . . . . 1,086 52.3 32.6 12.9 6.8 9,917 55.6 64.7 73.5 81.5

College, 1 or more years . . . . . 1,913 63.4 43.2 15.8 4.4 16,193 67.9 72.0 79.0 83.6

No degree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 671 58.6 36.2 17.5 4.9 5,960 65.1 71.4 77.9 82.5

Associate’s degree . . . . . . . . . 295 75.6 49.9 16.9 8.7 3,385 73.5 77.4 83.0 86.9

Bachelor’s degree . . . . . . . . . 681 60.1 43.1 14.3 2.7 4,999 65.7 69.4 74.9 82.4

Graduate or professional

degree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267 70.0 53.4 14.3 2.3 1,849 72.9 72.3 86.2 83.4

ANNUAL FAMILY INCOME

Under $20,000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 782 46.7 20.4 13.0 13.4 4,591 51.7 68.8 64.9 63.8

$20,000 to $34,999 . . . . . . . . . . 641 47.5 31.5 10.0 6.0 5,012 57.0 62.1 75.2 77.0

$35,000 to $49,999 . . . . . . . . . . 465 54.7 35.9 15.8 3.0 4,062 64.7 69.7 77.4 84.2

$50,000 to $74,999 . . . . . . . . . . 588 65.0 45.8 15.7 3.5 5,165 64.4 71.6 81.9 87.7

$75,000 to $99,999 . . . . . . . . . . 388 60.1 40.0 15.3 4.9 3,221 70.1 74.9 79.6 89.6

$100,000 and over . . . . . . . . . . . 362 59.9 44.9 12.1 2.9 3,316 64.8 61.7 77.9 82.7

Not ascertained . . . . . . . . . . . . . 520 55.7 36.1 16.5 3.1 4,996 57.2 62.2 69.1 76.4

(X) Not applicable.

(B) Derived measures not shown. Base less than 75,000.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, June 2004.
women 40 to 44 years old in 2004, average of 1.6 births, about one women, women with an associate’s

19 percent were childless, about child fewer than women who were degree, and women with a family

twice the percentage childless not high school graduates (2.5 income of $50,000 or more.

among women of the same age in births). In addition, about one- The differential in completed fertil- 1976 (10 percent). Women 40 to quarter of college graduates who ity by educational attainment is 44 years old in 2004 approached were 40 to 44 years old were larger than that of any other char- the end of their childbearing years childless. acteristic shown in Table 7. The with an average of 1.9 children, Women aged 40 to 44 currently in differential in the average number more than one child fewer than the the labor force in 2004 averaged of children ever born between average for women in the same age 1.8 births, compared with 2.1 women who did not graduate from group in 1976 (3.1 children). This births for women the same age not high school and women who com- shift in the average number of chil- currently in the labor force. The pleted a graduate or professional dren ever born reflects the decline average number of births per degree was 0.9 children, compared in the proportion of women having woman also ranged from 1.8 for with a differential of 0.5 children higher order births (three or more women whose annual family between Hispanic women and non- children) from an average of 20 per- income was $35,000 to $49,999 or Hispanic White women. cent in 1976 to 10 percent in 2004. $75,000 and over to 2.1 for those

Table 7 shows data on lifetime fer- with an income under $20,000. SOURCE OF THE DATA

tility of women aged 40 to 44 by Most estimates in this report come In addition to providing a picture selected characteristics. As previ- from data obtained in the June of completed fertility levels, Table ously mentioned, the fertility of 2004 Current Population Survey 7 shows demographic, social, and Hispanic women was higher than (CPS). Some estimates are based on economic factors related to that of Black, Asian, or non-Hispanic whether women aged 40 to 44 had data obtained by the CPS in earlier White women. Fertility levels were years. The Census Bureau conducts never married. Thirty-one percent higher for foreign-born women than this survey every month, although of Black women, 21 percent of for native women (2.2 births and women who had less than a high this report uses only data from the 1.8 births, respectively), reflecting June surveys for its estimates. school education, and 26 percent the fact that Hispanic women made Comparative estimates on annual of women who had a family up 44 percent of foreign-born births are made with data collected income of less than $20,000 had women aged 40 to 44. in the Vital Statistics Registration never married. Groups that had 

system and published by the In 2004, women with a graduate 10 percent or lower proportions

National Center for Health or professional degree were ending never married included: Asian

Statistics. their childbearing years with an women, non-Hispanic White

U.S. Census Bureau 11

Table 6.

Children Ever Born per 1,000 Women 40 to 44 Years Old: Selected Years, 1976 to 2004

(Numbers in thousands)

Year

Number

of women

Children

ever born

per 1,000

women

Percent distribution of women by number of children ever born

Total None

One

child

Two

children

Three

children

Four

children

Five

or more

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

2004 . ......................... 11,535 1,895 100.0 19.3 17.4 34.5 18.1 7.4 3.4

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey for selected years, June 1976 to June 2004.
The population represented (the population, which is excluded from ACCURACY OF THE

population universe) in the Fertility the population universe, is com- ESTIMATES

Supplement to the June 2004 CPS posed primarily of the population Statistics from surveys are subject is the female civilian noninstitu- in correctional institutions and

to sampling and nonsampling error. tionalized population 15 to 44 nursing homes (91 percent of the All comparisons presented in this years old living in the United institutionalized population report have taken sampling error States. The institutionalized [4.1 million] in Census 2000).

12 U.S. Census Bureau

Table 7.

Completed Fertility for Women 40 to 44 Years Old by Selected Characteristics: June 2004

(Numbers in thousands)

Characteristic Total

Percent never

married

Percent

childless

Children ever born

per 1,000 women

Total women 40 to 44 ............................

RACE AND HISPANIC ORIGIN

11,535 13.0 19.3 1,895

White alone .......................................... 9,237 10.3 19.1 1,878

White alone, non-Hispanic. . . ......................... 7,968 9.6 20.0 1,811

Black alone . ......................................... 1,523 30.8 21.3 1,938

Asian alone .......................................... 505 7.0 17.8 1,923

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

NATIVITY

1,378 14.5 13.8 2,301

Native . . . ............................................ 9,807 13.1 20.0 1,848

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

EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT

1,727 12.3 15.2 2,160

Not a high school graduate ............................ 1,202 20.9 15.3 2,479

High school graduate ................................. 3,649 12.0 16.7 1,943

College, 1 or more years ............................... 6,683 12.1 21.4 1,763

No degree . ........................................ 2,045 12.6 19.7 1,833

Associate’s degree . ................................. 1,262 9.4 17.0 1,894

Bachelor’s degree .................................. 2,373 13.2 24.2 1,721

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

LABOR FORCE STATUS

1,003 12.0 23.8 1,557

In labor force . . . ...................................... 8,780 13.4 20.6 1,817

Employed .......................................... 8,380 13.2 20.5 1,814

Unemployed ....................................... 400 18.1 23.9 1,869

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

ANNUAL FAMILY INCOME1

2,754 11.6 15.1 2,143

Under $20,000 . . . .................................... 1,275 26.1 21.1 2,064

$20,000 to $29,999. ................................... 1,487 19.4 18.9 1,960

$35,000 to $49,999. ................................... 1,473 14.3 20.8 1,798

$50,000 to $74,999 ................................... 1,998 7.4 18.9 1,921

$75,000 to $99,999 ................................... 1,505 6.7 15.7 1,819

$100,000 and over .................................... 1,720 6.1 17.9 1,845

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

REGION OF RESIDENCE2

2,075 15.1 21.5 1,883

Northeast ............................................ 2,272 17.0 19.7 1,849

Midwest . ............................................ 2,587 11.0 17.5 1,950

South ............................................... 4,128 12.5 19.7 1,834

West . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,548 12.2 20.1 1,978

1 Family income is asked of all respondents regardless of living arrangements. For people living alone, the income data are for these

individuals. For other people living in nonfamily households (i.e., households with no members who are related to the householder), it is

presumed that the respondent listed only his or her own income. 2 Region is defined as the four groupings of states and the District of Columbia (Northeast, Midwest, South, and West) established by

the U.S. Census Bureau in 1942 for the presentation of census data. Northeast Region: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts,

Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania. Midwest Region: Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota,

Iowa, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas. South Region: Delaware, Maryland, District of Columbia, Virginia, West

Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma,

Texas. West Region: Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Nevada, Washington, Oregon, California, Alaska,

Hawaii.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, June 2004.
into account and are significant at be present when people who are CONTACTS

the 90-percent confidence level. missed by the survey differ from For additional information on these

This means the 90-percent confi- those interviewed in ways other topics, contact the author of this dence interval for the difference than age, race, sex, and Hispanic report: between the estimates being com- origin. How this weighting procepared does not include zero. dure affects other variables in the Jane Lawler Dye

Nonsampling errors in surveys may survey is not precisely known. All jane.l.dye@census.gov

of these considerations affect com- be attributed to a variety of 301-763-2416

parisons across different surveys sources, such as how the survey

was designed, how respondents or data sources. USER COMMENTS

interpret questions, how able and For further information on statisti- The Census Bureau welcomes the

willing respondents are to provide cal standards and the computation comments and advice of users of

correct answers, and how accu- and use of standard errors, go to its data and reports. If you have

rately the answers are coded and <www.census.gov/population any suggestions or comments,

classified. The Census Bureau /www/socdemo/fertility/2004 please write to:

employs quality control procedures /sa04.pdf> or contact the Census Chief, Population Division throughout the production process, Bureau’s Demographic Statistical U.S. Census Bureau including the overall design of Methods Division via e-mail at

Washington, DC 20233-8800 surveys, the wording of questions, <dsmd.source.and.accuracy

review of the work of interviewers @census.gov>. Or send an e-mail inquiry to:

and coders, and statistical review of pop@census.gov MORE INFORMATION reports to minimize these errors.

Detailed tables with characteristics SUGGESTED CITATION

The CPS weighting procedure uses of women in the childbearing ages Dye, Jane Lawler. Fertility of ratio estimation, whereby sample by fertility indicators are available American Women: June 2004. estimates are adjusted to inde- on the Internet at Current Population Reports, pendent estimates of the national <www.census.gov>; search by P20-555. U.S. Census Bureau, population by age, race, sex, and clicking on “F “ for “Fertility of Washington, DC, 2005. Hispanic origin. This weighting American Women Data” under the

partially corrects for bias due to “Subjects A to Z” heading on the

undercoverage, but biases may still Census Bureau home page.

U.S. Census Bureau 13
14 U.S. Census Bureau

Appendix Table.

Selected Fertility Characteristics for Race Alone and for Race Alone or in Combination

With One or More Other Races: June 2004

(Numbers in thousands)

Race and characteristic Alone In combination

Alone or in

combination

WHITE

Number of women 15 to 44 years old ............................ 47,984 898 *48,882

Children ever born per 1,000 women . . . .......................... 1,159 1,095 1,158

Percent childless .............................................. 45.1 50.0 45.2

Women who had a birth in the last year . . ........................ 2,881 57 *2,938

Births per 1,000 women ...................................... 60.0 63.9 60.1

First births per 1,000 women .................................. 23.2 22.5 23.2

Percent with a nonmarital birth ................................ 26.8 (B) 26.7

Percent in the labor force ..................................... 70.1 (B) 69.9

BLACK

Number of women 15 to 44 years old ............................ 8,798 268 *9,065

Children ever born per 1,000 women . . . .......................... 1,361 1,023 *1,351

Percent childless .............................................. 40.5 49.9 *40.8

Women who had a birth in the last year . . ........................ 515 23 *537

Births per 1,000 women ...................................... 58.5 84.2 59.3

First births per 1,000 women .................................. 21.8 25.6 22.0

Percent with a nonmarital birth ................................ 62.0 (B) 61.2

Percent in the labor force ..................................... 68.2 (B) 68.0

ASIAN

Number of women 15 to 44 years old ............................ 3,035 227 *3,262

Children ever born per 1,000 women . . . .......................... 1,031 847 1,018

Percent childless .............................................. 47.2 60.1 *48.1

Women who had a birth in the last year . . ........................ 230 13 243

Births per 1,000 women ...................................... 75.8 56.3 74.4

First births per 1,000 women .................................. 38.1 24.2 37.2

Percent with a nonmarital birth ................................ 23.6 (B) 23.7

Percent in the labor force ..................................... 61.4 (B) 61.3

* Significantly different at the 90-percent confidence level from the race alone group.

(B) Derived measures not shown. Base less than 75,000.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, June 2004.