December 6, 2007
Teen Births Rose in 2006

For the first time since 1991, the rate of births to teenagers rose last year, increasing to 41.9 live births per 1000 females ages 15 to 19 years old. The 3 percent increase follows a 14-year downward trend in which teen births had fallen from an all-time peak of 61.8 births per 1000 in 1991. “It’s way too early to know if this is the start of a new trend,” said Stephanie Ventura, head of the Reproductive Statistics Branch of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which compiled the report. “But given the long-term progress we’ve witnessed, this change is notable.” The largest increases in teen births were to non-Hispanic black teens, whose overall rate rose 5 percent in 2006. The rate of increase was 2 percent for Hispanic teens, 3 percent for non-Hispanic white teens, and 4 percent for American Indian teens. The full report, which includes data on total births in the United States in 2006, is available online at www.cdc.gov/nchs.