This section presents various tables showing vital statistics data for Kern County. Some of these data are compared at the local community level, while others show where Kern County ranks compared to other counties across California. Some of the data in this section include community level information on births to adolescents, neonatal and infant mortality, low birth-weight, and prenatal care. An average of 12,700 live births to Kern County residents occurred each year from 1992 to 1994, for mothers of all ages. Total births to teenage and younger mothers during this time averaged 2,216 per year, or about 17 percent of all births in the county.
Kern County ranks seventh in the state in the proportion of births to adolescents.
Kern County along with Kings County had the highest rate in the state. Statewide, the neonatal mortality rate was 4.7 deaths per 1,000 live births. Kern County showed a higher infant death rate of 10 per 1,000 and was ranked highest in the state. Kern County ranks fourth in the state in the proportion of low birth-weight babies. Receive Late or No Prenatal Care From 1992 through 1994, about 3,700 children per year were born in Kern County with little or no prenatal care received by the mother.