Birth and
Fertility Rates by Educational Attainment:
United States, 1994
Educational attainment has long been considered an important measure
of socioeconomic status in describing fertility differentials. Birth rates by maternal
educational attainment provide a way to interpret variations in childbearing patterns.
This report "Birth and Fertility Rates by Educational Attainment: United States,
1994" presents birth rates for the United States by educational attainment of the
mother. Rates are shown by age, race, Hispanic origin of mother, birth order, and marital
status. Calculated for the first time are total fertility rates by educational attainment
of mother. Data shown in this report are based on 100 percent of birth certificates
registered in all States and the District of Columbia.
Data Highlights:
Birth rates differ considerably by educational attainment. In 1994 women with 0-8 years of
education had the highest birth rates overall, while those who started but did not
complete college had the lowest.
Among women aged 25 years and over, unmarried women with less education had a much higher
birth rate than unmarried women who attended school longer.
For college-educated women, low first birth rates for women in their twenties and high
first birth rates for women in their thirties point to the continuing trend of delayed
childbearing.
Keywords: education and fertility, birth
rates by education