Teen Birth Rate

The teen birth rate is the number, per 1000 females aged 15-17, who have a baby while they are in this age group. This indicator includes birth to all teenagers aged 15 to 17, regardless of whether they are married, singled, divorced or widowed. KIDS COUNT purposely selected the age group of 15 to 17, as opposed to the more standard 15-19 because data indicates that it is during this period that pregnancy is most problematic. Moreover, the reasons girls under the age of 15 are not included in the sample is to present the most accurate picture possible. Including data for girls under the age of 15 would substantially decrease the rate of teenage pregnancies creating an unrealistic presentation.

For years teenage pregnancy has been one of the most discussed issues on Capitol Hill, and elsewhere in the public sphere. For all the attention it has gathered teenage pregnancy is less a problem today then it was 40 years ago. Data indicates that the rate of teens aged 15 to 17 getting pregnant has decreased by more then 20 percent since the 1950s, and is likely to see further declines in the future. The decreasing rate of teen pregnancies is evident regardless of the race, marital status, or ethnicity of the mother. This decline has been influenced by a variety of factors including the increasing use of contraceptives, increasing efficacy of implant contraceptives and the fact that while the numbers of teens who are sexually active has not decreased substantially, the age at which they become active has increased.

The data for this indicator was obtained from several sources. The significant sources include: the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). To locate the citation for teen pregnancy data for a specific year please consult the KIDS COUNT web site and look in the “”definitions and Data Sources” page.