Births in the United States: 2018

"Key findings

Data from the National Vital Statistics System

• The U.S. general fertility rate (births per 1,000 women aged 15–44) declined 2% between 2017 and 2018; fertility rates declined for non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic black, and Hispanic women.
• The teen birth rate declined 7% from 2017 to 2018 to 17.4 births per 1,000 females aged 15–19. Rates fell for each race and Hispanic-origin group.
• The percentage of vaginal births after previous cesarean (VBAC) rose to 13.3% in 2018 with increases in VBAC deliveries for the three race and Hispanic-origin groups.
• Percentages of births delivered preterm and early term increased from 2017 to 2018, whereas full-term and late- and post-term deliveries declined. These patterns were consistent across race and Hispanic-origin groups..."
  Birth rates

Teen Birth Rates

"Teen birth rates (live births per 1,000 15–19-year-old U.S. females) decreased 6% overall from 2011 (31.3) to 2012 (29.4).¹ Decreases occurred for all races and for Hispanics. Despite these declines, geographic, socioeconomic, and racial and ethnic disparities persist. Achieving health equity, eliminating disparities, and improving the health of all groups is an overarching goal of Healthy People 2020..."
Teen Births

U.S. Teen Birth Rate Hits Record Low in 2009, CDC Report Finds
"The birth rate for U.S. teens aged 15-19 years fell to a record low, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The 2009 birth rate of 39.1 births per 1,000 teens is down 6 percent from the 2008 rate of 41.5 births per 1,000. This is the lowest ever recorded in seven decades of tracking teenage childbearing. Birth rates for younger and older teens and for all race/ethnic groups reached historic lows in 2009.

The data are based on nearly 100 percent of birth records collected in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories. The report from CDC's National Center for Health Statistics also notes declines in the overall fertility rate—the average number of births that a group of women would have over their lifetimes—and the total number of U.S. births.

The general fertility rate fell from 68.6 births per 1,000 females aged 15-44 per year in 2008 to 66.7 in 2009. The total number of births declined from 4,247,694 in 2008 to 4,131,019 in 2009. This decline appears to be continuing into 2010, based on early birth counts from January-June of this year..."

State Disparities in Teenage Birth Rates in the United States
"Key findings
In 2008, state-specific teenage birth rates varied widely, from less than 25.0 per 1,000 15-19 year olds to more than 60.0.

Rates for non-Hispanic white and Hispanic teenagers were uniformly higher in the Southeast and lower in the Northeast and California.

The highest rates for non-Hispanic black teenagers were reported in the upper Midwest and in the Southeast.

The race and Hispanic origin-specific birth rates by state as well as the population composition of states by race and Hispanic origin contribute to state variations in overall teenage birth rates..."

Live Births, Birth Rates, and Fertility Rates, by Race: United States, 1909-2003
Find statistics on historical births and birth rates by race.

Births: Final Data for 2007
"...A total of 4,316,233 births were registered in the United States in 2007, the largest number of births ever reported. The general fertility rate increased 1 percent to 69.5 per 1,000. Birth rates increased for women in nearly all age groups. The rate for teenagers rose 1 percent, and is up 5 percent from 2005. The total fertility rate increased 1 percent to 2,122.0 births per 1,000 women. 2008 preliminary data, however, suggest a decline in the number and rate of births overall, and for most age groups under 40 years. All measures of unmarried childbearing reached record levels in 2007. The cesarean delivery rate rose to another all-time high - 31.8 percent. Preterm and low birthweight rates declined slightly; twin and triplet and higher order multiple birth rates were essentially unchanged. Preliminary findings for 2008 suggest a continuation of these trends for cesarean delivery, unmarried childbearing, and preterm births."

Teen Birth Rates Drop in 2008 Following a Two-Year Increase
"he teen birth rate in the United States fell 2 percent between 2007 and 2008, after rising the previous two years, according to a report released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics.

“Births: Preliminary Data for 2008,” based on an analysis of 99.9 percent of birth records for 2008, found there were 41.5 births per 1,000 teenagers aged 15-19 years, down from 42.5 in 2007 and 41.9 in 2006.

There was also a significant decline in the percentage of babies born preterm in 2008 (prior to 37 weeks of pregnancy). The preterm birth rate declined from 12.7 in 2007 to 12.3 in 2008. This marks the second straight year of decline in the preterm birth rate following a 20 percent increase between 1990 and 2006..."