Teen birth rates plummeted almost 50% in an “unprecedented decline”
across every state and major racial group in recent years, the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics reported Wednesday.
The largest declines for teens aged 15 to 19 between 2007 and 2015
were
seen in metropolitan areas. Urban counties in Arizona, Colorado,
Connecticut, Massachusetts and Minnesota led 17 states with a 50% drop
or more. Teen births also decreased 44% in medium and small cities and
suburbs.
But while adolescent birth rates fell across all 50 states, they were
still much higher in the countryside than in the cities. Rural counties
saw just a 37% drop, which was below the national average of 47.6%.
Alaska only had an 18% decrease in adolescent birth rates, and Maryland,
Montana, North Dakota and Pennsylvania were also under 30%.
The teen birth rate among non-Hispanic white females was also more than
2.5 times higher in rural counties than in large urban ones. Some 50%
more Hispanic teens gave birth in rural counties compared to large urban
counties. The disparity was smaller in non-Hispanic black teens, who
ranged from a low of 29.1 births per 1,000 females in urban counties to
39.6 in rural ones.
There were some discrepancies in urban zones too, however. Metropolitan
areas in North Dakota and West Virginia had decreases in teen births
that were less than 30%.
The study authors did not offer any explanation for geographical differences in birth rates.
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