| Q: |
What proportion of teen mothers are unmarried and how has it changed in recent years? |
| A: |
The proportion of births to unmarried teen mothers grew substantially between 1955 and 2010. |
Percent of births to unmarried teen mothers, 1955-2010
| |
Under 15 |
Age 15 |
Age 16 |
Age 17 |
Age 18 |
Age 19 |
Ages 15-19 |
Birth rate
ages 15-19* |
| 1955 |
66.3% |
42.8% |
26.5% |
17.8% |
12.4% |
8.7% |
14.2% |
90.3% |
| 1956 |
66.1 |
42.2 |
26.8 |
17.3 |
12.1 |
8.4 |
14.0 |
94.6 |
| 1957 |
66.1 |
42.6 |
26.8 |
17.4 |
12.0 |
8.2 |
13.9 |
96.3 |
| 1958 |
66.2 |
42.6 |
26.9 |
17.7 |
12.4 |
8.8 |
14.3 |
91.4 |
| 1959 |
67.9 |
43.7 |
27.5 |
18.6 |
12.7 |
9.0 |
14.8 |
90.4 |
| 1960 |
67.9 |
44.4 |
28.1 |
18.2 |
12.9 |
9.2 |
14.8 |
89.1 |
| 1961 |
69.7 |
46.6 |
29.2 |
19.4 |
13.6 |
9.7 |
15.5 |
88.6 |
| 1962 |
69.5 |
47.0 |
30.6 |
20.5 |
13.8 |
9.6 |
15.7 |
81.4 |
| 1963 |
71.1 |
50.2 |
31.5 |
21.6 |
15.3 |
10.6 |
17.4 |
76.7 |
| 1964 |
74.2 |
53.0 |
34.9 |
23.2 |
16.1 |
11.8 |
19.0 |
73.1 |
| 1965 |
78.5 |
56.4 |
37.4 |
25.8 |
17.6 |
13.3 |
20.8 |
70.5 |
| 1966 |
76.3 |
57.8 |
40.6 |
27.8 |
19.2 |
13.9 |
21.9 |
70.3 |
| 1967 |
80.3 |
59.7 |
42.6 |
30.3 |
21.4 |
15.6 |
24.2 |
67.5 |
| 1968 |
81.0 |
62.5 |
45.3 |
32.7 |
23.6 |
17.6 |
26.7 |
65.6 |
| 1969 |
79.3 |
62.8 |
46.1 |
33.5 |
24.5 |
18.5 |
27.8 |
65.5 |
| 1970 |
80.8 |
64.8 |
47.6 |
35.0 |
26.0 |
19.6 |
29.5 |
68.3 |
| 1971 |
82.1 |
65.6 |
49.1 |
36.5 |
27.1 |
20.2 |
30.9 |
64.5 |
| 1972 |
81.9 |
66.7 |
50.1 |
37.7 |
28.5 |
21.5 |
32.8 |
61.7 |
| 1973 |
84.8 |
66.2 |
50.8 |
38.7 |
29.3 |
22.4 |
33.9 |
59.3 |
| 1974 |
84.6 |
68.5 |
52.8 |
40.0 |
31.3 |
23.5 |
35.4 |
57.5 |
| 1975 |
87.0 |
71.2 |
55.8 |
43.1 |
34.3 |
26.1 |
38.2 |
55.6 |
| 1976 |
86.4 |
71.9 |
58.6 |
46.2 |
36.4 |
27.8 |
40.3 |
52.8 |
| 1977 |
88.2 |
74.3 |
60.5 |
49.2 |
39.6 |
30.2 |
42.9 |
52.8 |
| 1978 |
87.3 |
74.1 |
61.9 |
50.4 |
41.0 |
32.2 |
44.1 |
51.5 |
| 1979 |
88.8 |
76.8 |
64.6 |
52.8 |
43.3 |
34.0 |
46.1 |
52.3 |
| 1980 |
88.7 |
77.8 |
65.5 |
54.9 |
45.1 |
35.7 |
47.6 |
53.0 |
| 1981 |
89.2 |
79.2 |
67.4 |
56.8 |
47.0 |
37.1 |
49.2 |
52.2 |
| 1982 |
89.2 |
80.3 |
69.3 |
58.6 |
48.6 |
38.6 |
50.7 |
52.4 |
| 1983 |
90.4 |
81.3 |
71.6 |
61.5 |
51.7 |
41.1 |
53.4 |
51.4 |
| 1984 |
91.1 |
82.6 |
72.9 |
63.4 |
53.9 |
43.7 |
55.6 |
50.6 |
| 1985 |
91.8 |
83.7 |
74.1 |
65.4 |
56.3 |
46.5 |
58.0 |
51.0 |
| 1986 |
92.5 |
85.7 |
76.8 |
67.4 |
59.1 |
49.4 |
60.8 |
50.2 |
| 1987 |
92.9 |
86.7 |
79.0 |
70.7 |
61.5 |
51.7 |
63.4 |
50.6 |
| 1988 |
93.6 |
87.7 |
80.0 |
72.6 |
64.2 |
53.9 |
65.3 |
53.0 |
| 1989 |
92.4 |
87.4 |
80.7 |
73.3 |
65.7 |
56.2 |
66.6 |
57.3 |
| 1990 |
91.6 |
86.9 |
80.0 |
73.7 |
66.2 |
57.7 |
67.1 |
59.9 |
| 1991 |
91.3 |
87.1 |
81.1 |
74.9 |
68.1 |
59.4 |
68.8 |
61.8 |
| 1992 |
91.3 |
87.0 |
81.5 |
75.5 |
69.2 |
61.0 |
70.0 |
60.3 |
| 1993 |
91.3 |
87.0 |
81.8 |
76.5 |
70.5 |
62.6 |
71.3 |
59.0 |
| 1994 |
94.5 |
90.7 |
85.9 |
81.0 |
74.8 |
66.3 |
75.5 |
58.2 |
| 1995 |
93.5 |
89.8 |
85.6 |
80.6 |
74.6 |
65.9 |
75.2 |
56.0 |
| 1996 |
93.8 |
90.3 |
86.1 |
81.7 |
75.3 |
67.2 |
75.9 |
53.5 |
| 1997 |
95.7 |
93.0 |
88.5 |
84.0 |
77.5 |
68.6 |
77.8 |
51.3 |
| 1998 |
96.6 |
93.5 |
89.1 |
84.9 |
78.2 |
69.9 |
78.5 |
50.3 |
| 1999 |
96.5 |
93.5 |
89.4 |
85.1 |
78.6 |
70.5 |
78.7 |
48.8 |
| 2000 |
96.5 |
93.5 |
89.7 |
85.2 |
78.9 |
70.8 |
78.8 |
47.7 |
| 2001 |
96.3 |
93.7 |
89.6 |
85.3 |
79.2 |
71.4 |
78.9 |
45.0 |
| 2002 |
97.0 |
94.3 |
90.1 |
86.2 |
80.3 |
72.7 |
80.0 |
42.6 |
| 2003 |
97.1 |
95.0 |
91.1 |
87.7 |
81.6 |
74.2 |
81.3 |
41.1 |
| 2004 |
97.4 |
95.3 |
91.5 |
88.3 |
82.7 |
75.8 |
82.4 |
40.5 |
| 2005 |
98.0 |
95.7 |
92.4 |
89.0 |
83.6 |
77.0 |
83.3 |
39.7 |
| 2006 |
98.3 |
96.8 |
93.3 |
90.0 |
84.4 |
77.8 |
84.2 |
41.1 |
| 2007 |
98.8 |
97.7 |
94.1 |
91.0 |
85.7 |
79.6 |
85.5 |
41.5 |
| 2008 |
99.1 |
98.1 |
95.0 |
92.0 |
87.1 |
80.9 |
86.7 |
40.2 |
| 2009 |
99.0 |
98.4 |
95.5 |
92.6 |
87.8 |
81.7 |
87.2 |
37.9 |
| 2010 |
99.3 |
98.7 |
96.4 |
93.5 |
88.7 |
82.8 |
88.1 |
34.2 |
| * Rate per 1,000 females ages 15–19 |
[ Graph version ]
[ Excel file ]
- In 1955, 14% of all births to females ages 15–19 were to unmarried women. By 2010, this proportion had increased to 88%.
- In 1955, of the 90 births per 1,000 females ages 15–19, 77 were to married women and 13 were to unmarried women. In 2010, of the 34 births per 1,000 females ages 15–19, 4 were to married women and 30 were to unmarried women.
- Since 1955, mothers under age 15 were more likely to be unmarried than their counterparts ages 15–19. However, the gap has declined in recent years. In 1955, for example, the proportion of mothers under age 15 who were unmarried was more than 4 times that of unmarried mothers ages 15–19 (66% vs. 14%). This gap narrowed by 2009, such that younger mothers were about 1.1 times as likely to be unmarried as older teen moms (99% vs. 88%).
- Overall, births to unmarried women ages 15–17 totaled 103,755 in 2010.
- Although the majority of unmarried teen mothers were white, black teens were more likely than others to be unmarried mothers.
Internet citation: OJJDP Statistical Briefing Book. Online. Available: http://www.ojjdp.gov/ojstatbb/population/qa01303.asp?qaDate=2010.
Released on December 17, 2012. Data Source: National Center for Health Statistics' Annual Births: Final Data for the years 1999-2009 and Nonmarital childbearing in the United States, 1940-1999. Available from http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/births.htm
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.
USA.gov | Privacy | Policies & Disclaimers | FOIA | Site Map | Ask a Question | OJJDP Home
A component of the Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice
|
Printer-friendly