Record Low Levels for Teen Births

Teen Pregnancy Numbers Down

This week the National Center for Health Statistics, a federal government agency, released its numbers relative to the birth rate among teen mothers in the United States. The results were very encouraging for those within the health department who have been involved in the campaigns to reduce the rates of teen pregnancy.

Since the NCHS started keeping track of the trend, back in 1940, the rates have never been lower. While the data doesn’t tell us exactly why the numbers are down, the numbers do show a record low rate of only about 3.9% in teens ranging in age from 15 to 19 years old. This is nearly half of the number twenty years ago, when the rate was close to 6.2%.

The results of the study released in the report also mirror the trend in the overall birthrate in the U.S. Perhaps due to the increase in young women more focused on advanced education and establishing a career path, among women in their early twenties, the birth rate currently stands at its lowest rate in almost 30 years.