Births per 1,000 females in age group, 1970-2010

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Working for Youth Justice and Safety

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Teen Mothers

Q:	What is the teen birth rate and how has it changed in recent years?
A:	In 2010, the birth rate for women ages 15–17 was 20 births for every 1,000 females in that age group, 55% below the 1970 rate.

Births per 1,000 females in age group, 1970-2010

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The birth rate for older juvenile females (ages 15–17) fell 21% between 1970 and 1986 and then increased over the next 5 years back to its 1970 level.
The birth rate for young adult females (ages 18 and 19) dropped even more than the rate for older juveniles between 1970 and 1986, falling 31%. Although the rate for young adults also increased through 1991, this increase was well below the 1970 level.
Since 1991, rates declined for older juvenile females (down 55%) and young adult females (38%). As a result, the birth rate in 2010 for both age groups was well below the their rates in 1970.
The 2010 birth rate for 15–17-year-olds was about one-third the rate for 18–19-year-olds.
In 2010, females ages 15–17 accounted for 30% of all births to teen mothers under the age of 20.

Internet citation: OJJDP Statistical Briefing Book. Online. Available: http://www.ojjdp.gov/ojstatbb/population/qa01301.asp?qaDate=2010. Released on December 17, 2012.

Data Source: Martin, J.A., Hamilton, B.E., Ventura, S.J., et al. Births: Final Data for 2010. National Vital Statistics Report, Vol. 61, No. 01. [PDF]. Hyattsville, Maryland: National Center for Health Statistics, 2012.