HHS/ASPE. U. S. Department of Health and Human Services.

2008 Indicators of Welfare Dependence

Appendix C
Additional Nonmarital Birth Data

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Table C-1.
Percentage of Births to Unmarried Women within Age Groups
by Race and Ethnicity: Selected Years 1940-2005
  White   Black1   Hispanic2
Total Age Age Total   Total Age Age Total   Total Age Age Total
Teens 3 15 - 17 18 - 19 Women   Teens 15 - 17 18 - 19 Women   Teens 15 - 17 18 - 19 Women
1940 7 – – 2   36 – – 17   – – – –
1945 10 – – 2   41 – – 18   – – – –
1950 6 10 5 2   37 48 28 18   – – – –
1955 7 10 5 2   42 52 33 20   – – – –
1960 7 12 5 2   43 54 34 22   – – – –
1965 12 17 9 4   51 63 39 26   – – – –
1970 17 25 14 6   64 76 52 38   – – – –
1975 23 33 17 7   78 87 68 49   – – – –
1980 34 45 27 11   86 93 80 56   42 51 36 24
1985 45 58 38 15   91 96 86 61   – 61 46 30
1990 57 68 51 20   92 96 89 67   62 68 54 37
1991 59 70 53 22   93 96 90 68   64 69 56 38
1992 61 71 55 23   93 96 90 68   65 69 57 39
1993 63 72 57 24   93 96 91 69   66 69 58 40
1994 68 78 62 25   95 98 93 70   73 77 65 43
1995 68 77 62 25   95 98 93 70   71 75 62 41
1996 69 79 63 26   96 98 94 70   71 75 63 41
1997 71 82 65 26   96 98 94 69   76 80 66 41
1998 72 83 67 26   96 98 94 69   77 82 67 42
1999 73 83 67 27   96 98 94 69   76 82 67 42
2000 73 83 68 27   96 99 94 68   76 82 67 43
2001 73 83 68 28   96 99 94 68   75 81 67 42
2002 75 85 70 28   96 99 94 68   77 83 69 44
2003 77 86 72 29   96 99 95 68   80 85 71 45
2004 78 87 74 31   96 99 95 69   81 86 73 46
2005 79 88 75 32   96 99 95 69   83 87 75 48
Note:  Trends in non-marital births may be affected by changes in the reporting of marital status on birth certificates and in procedures for inferring non-marital births when marital status is not reported. In particular, the increases from 1993 to 1994 to a great extent reflect improvements in the completeness of reporting of nonmarital births in two states, Michigan and Texas.
1 From 1940 to 1965, the percentage of births to unmarried Black women (shown in italics) includes all unmarried Non-white.
2 Persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race.  Data for Hispanics have been available only since 1980, with 22 states reporting in 1980, representing 90 percent of the Hispanic population. Hispanic birth data were reported by 23 states and the District of Columbia in 1985;  48 states and the District of Columbia in 1990; 49 states and the District of Columbia in 1991 and 1992; and all 50 states and the District of Columbia since 1993.
3 Teens under 15 included in Total Teen but not shown separately.
Source:  National Center for Health Statistics, “Births of Hispanic Parentage, 1980,” Monthly Vital Statistics Report, Vol. 32, No. 6 Supplement; “Births of Hispanic Parentage, 1985,” Monthly Vital Statistics Report, Vol. 36, No. 11 Supplement; “Nonmarital Childbearing in the United States, 1940 - 1999,” National Vital Health Statistics Reports, Vol. 48 (16); “Births: Final Data for 2005,” National Vital Statistics Reports, Vol. 56 (6), and earlier reports.  Additional calculations by ASPE staff.

Table C-2.
Percentage of Births that are to Unmarried Women by State: Selected Years 1960-2005
  1960 1970 1980 1990 1992 1994 1996 2000 2005
Alabama 11 14 22 30 33 34 34 34 36
Alaska 5 9 16 26 27 29 31 33 36
Arizona NA 9 19 33 36 38 39 39 43
Arkansas NA 13 20 29 31 33 34 36 40
California NA NA 21 32 34 36 31 33 36
Colorado NA 9 13 21 24 25 25 25 27
Connecticut NA NA 18 27 29 30 31 29 32
Delaware 9 15 24 29 33 35 35 38 44
Dist of Columbia 20 38 56 65 67 69 66 60 56
Florida 9 14 23 32 34 36 36 38 43
Georgia NA NA 23 33 35 36 35 37 41
Hawaii 5 10 18 25 26 28 30 32 36
Idaho NA NA 8 17 18 19 21 22 23
Illinois 6 13 23 32 33 34 34 35 37
Indiana 4 8 16 26 29 32 32 35 40
Iowa 2 7 10 21 24 25 26 28 32
Kansas 3 7 12 22 24 26 27 29 34
Kentucky 5 8 15 24 26 28 30 31 36
Louisiana 9 15 23 37 40 43 43 46 48
Maine 3 7 14 23 25 28 29 31 35
Maryland NA NA 25 30 30 34 34 35 37
Massachusetts NA NA 16 25 26 27 25 27 30
Michigan 4 11 16 26 27 35 34 33 37
Minnesota 3 8 11 21 23 24 25 26 30
Mississippi 14 17 28 40 43 45 45 46 49
Missouri 6 11 18 29 32 33 33 35 38
Montana NA NA 13 24 26 26 28 31 35
Nebraska NA 8 12 21 23 25 25 27 31
Nevada 4 11 13 25 33 35 43 36 41
New Hampshire NA 6 11 17 19 22 23 25 27
New Jersey 4 10 21 24 26 28 28 29 31
New Mexico NA NA 16 35 39 42 42 46 51
New York NA NA 24 33 35 38 40 37 39
North Carolina 9 12 19 29 31 32 32 33 38
North Dakota 3 7 9 18 23 23 25 28 32
Ohio 4 NA 18 29 32 33 33 35 39
Oklahoma NA 8 14 25 28 30 31 34 39
Oregon 3 7 15 26 27 29 30 30 33
Pennsylvania 4 10 18 29 32 33 32 33 37
Rhode Island 3 7 16 26 30 32 33 35 39
South Carolina 12 15 23 33 35 37 37 40 43
South Dakota 3 7 13 23 27 28 30 33 36
Tennessee 9 12 20 30 33 33 33 35 40
Texas 5 9 13 18 17 29 30 31 38
Utah 2 4 6 14 15 16 16 17 18
Vermont NA NA 14 20 23 25 26 28 32
Virginia 8 11 19 26 28 29 29 30 32
Washington 3 9 14 24 25 26 27 28 31
West Virginia 6 6 13 25 28 30 31 32 37
Wisconsin 3 8 14 24 26 27 27 29 32
Wyoming 2 7 8 20 24 27 27 29 33
United States 5 11 18 28 30 33 32 33 37
Source:  National Center for Health Statistics, “Births: Final Data for 2005,” National Vital Statistics Reports, Vol. 56 (6), December 2007 and earlier reports.

Table C-3.
Percentage of Births that are to Unmarried Women by Race and Ethnicity and State: 1994 and 2005
State All races Non-Hispanic Hispanic†
White Black
1994 2005 1994 2005 1994 2005 1994 2005
Alabama 35 36 16 21 71 70 19 22
Alaska 29 36 21 23 41 52 29 38
Arizona 38 43 25 27 65 61 51 54
Arkansas 33 40 20 30 74 77 31 45
California 36 36 23 21 63 64 46 46
Colorado 25 27 18 18 57 53 44 41
Connecticut 31 32 18 19 70 67 65 63
Delaware 35 44 22 30 74 71 50 62
Dist. of Columbia 69 56 10 6 81 77 59 68
Florida 36 43 24 32 69 68 34 45
Georgia 36 41 18 24 68 67 23 47
Hawaii 28 36 15 25 19 27 44 47
Idaho 19 23 17 20 42 27 25 38
Illinois 34 37 18 23 79 78 38 47
Indiana 32 40 26 34 78 78 42 54
Iowa 25 33 23 29 75 73 37 48
Kansas 26 34 21 28 67 72 39 49
Kentucky 28 36 23 31 73 74 25 50
Louisiana 43 48 21 29 73 77 30 38
Maine 28 35 28 35 45 36 23 43
Maryland 34 37 18 22 64 60 39 51
Massachusetts 27 30 19 22 63 58 62 64
Michigan 35 37 23 27 79 76 42 47
Minnesota 24 30 20 23 75 59 46 51
Mississippi 45 49 18 26 75 77 21 50
Missouri 33 38 24 30 79 77 34 49
Montana 26 35 20 28 29 43 30 44
Nebraska 25 31 20 24 74 70 39 47
Nevada 35 41 27 30 70 70 44 49
New Hampshire 22 27 21 27 33 37 37 47
New Jersey 28 31 13 15 68 66 48 56
New Mexico 42 51 23 30 60 58 49 57
New York 38 39 19 21 70 68 61 63
North Carolina 32 38 17 23 68 69 29 52
North Dakota 23 32 19 25 24 25 26 35
Ohio 33 39 25 31 78 76 50 56
Oklahoma 30 39 23 31 70 73 31 46
Oregon 29 33 27 30 72 65 35 46
Pennsylvania 33 37 23 27 80 76 63 61
Rhode Island 32 39 24 28 70 67 58 61
South Carolina 37 43 19 26 67 74 28 45
South Dakota 28 36 20 26 21 39 33 50
Tennessee 33 40 21 29 75 75 26 50
Texas 29 38 18 24 63 65 31 43
Utah 16 18 13 13 52 44 37 40
Vermont 25 32 25 32 32 41 34 35
Virginia 29 32 18 21 64 64 38 47
Washington 26 31 23 26 56 53 35 46
West Virginia 30 37 29 35 76 75 22 44
Wisconsin 27 33 20 25 82 82 46 49
Wyoming 28 33 25 29 42 62 45 48
United States 33 37 21 25 71 70 43 48
† Women of Hispanic origin may be of any race.
Source:  National Center for Health Statistics, “Births: Final Data for 2005,” National Vital Statistics Reports, Vol. 56 (6), December 2007 and earlier reports.

Table C-4.
Birth Rates of Teens 15-19 Years by State: Selected Years 1960-2005
[Births per 1,000 women in specified group]
State 1960 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005
Alabama 104 90 78 68 64 71 69 61 50
Alaska 128 103 60 64 56 65 55 49 37
Arizona 112 79 67 65 67 76 74 68 58
Arkansas 116 93 84 75 73 80 72 66 59
California 103 69 52 53 53 71 67 47 39
Colorado 97 67 51 50 48 55 52 51 43
Connecticut 54 44 32 31 31 39 39 31 23
Delaware 100 73 49 51 51 55 55 48 44
Dist. of Columbia 132 116 73 62 72 93 85 53 63
Florida 117 86 64 59 58 69 60 51 42
Georgia 117 101 78 72 68 76 70 63 53
Hawaii 77 66 52 51 48 61 49 46 36
Idaho 102 66 59 59 47 51 49 43 38
Illinois 63 63 56 56 51 63 58 48 39
Indiana 100 75 64 57 52 59 57 49 43
Iowa 73 53 46 43 35 41 38 34 33
Kansas 94 65 57 57 52 56 52 46 41
Kentucky 108 86 78 72 63 68 62 55 49
Louisiana 113 84 79 76 72 74 70 62 49
Maine 93 65 55 47 42 43 34 29 24
Maryland 100 69 46 43 46 53 47 41 32
Massachusetts 51 40 31 28 29 35 33 26 22
Michigan 80 69 52 45 43 59 49 40 33
Minnesota 64 44 36 35 31 36 33 30 26
Mississippi 121 103 92 84 76 81 79 70 61
Missouri 99 72 59 58 54 63 55 49 43
Montana 97 62 54 48 44 48 42 37 35
Nebraska 82 54 45 45 40 42 38 38 34
Nevada 118 94 60 59 55 73 73 63 50
New Hampshire 76 55 41 34 32 33 30 23 18
New Jersey 58 50 37 35 34 41 38 32 23
New Mexico 127 79 67 72 73 78 74 66 62
New York 57 51 38 35 36 44 42 33 27
North Carolina 104 88 72 58 57 68 63 59 49
North Dakota 68 44 43 42 36 35 33 27 30
Ohio 84 65 56 52 50 58 53 46 39
Oklahoma 112 83 76 75 69 67 64 60 54
Oregon 88 58 48 51 43 55 50 43 33
Pennsylvania 67 53 44 41 40 45 41 34 30
Rhode Island 56 43 35 33 36 44 40 34 31
South Carolina 109 89 73 65 63 71 63 58 51
South Dakota 83 49 51 53 46 47 41 38 38
Tennessee 103 88 74 64 61 72 67 60 55
Texas 115 85 74 74 72 75 76 69 62
Utah 86 56 54 65 50 49 41 38 33
Vermont 74 54 43 39 36 34 28 23 19
Virginia 103 76 53 48 46 53 48 41 34
Washington 88 60 46 47 45 53 48 39 31
West Virginia 87 72 73 68 54 57 53 47 43
Wisconsin 64 46 41 40 39 43 38 35 30
Wyoming 112 71 68 79 59 56 48 42 43
United States 89 68 56 53 51 60 56 48 41
Source:  National Center for Health Statistics, “Births: Final Data for 2005,” National Vital Statistics Reports, Vol. 56 (6), December 2006
and earlier reports available online at (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/pubs/pubd/nvsr/nvsr.htm).

Table C-5.
Birth Rates of Teens 15-19 Years by Race and Ethnicity and State: Selected Years
[Births per 1,000 women in specified group]
  All races Non-Hispanic White Non-Hispanic Black Hispanic†
State 1990 1996 2005 1990 1996 2005 1990 1996 2005 1990 1996 2005
Alabama 71 67 50 55 53 39 106 95 62 34 76 183
Alaska 65 51 37 53 38 24 § 61 36 § 86 72
Arizona 76 72 58 51 45 26 124 81 53 123 120 102
Arkansas 80 74 59 66 63 49 132 107 80 § 106 121
California 71 61 39 43 32 15 109 81 39 112 99 67
Colorado 55 51 43 39 34 22 112 82 54 111 106 107
Connecticut 39 37 23 20 19 11 108 80 43 122 101 77
Delaware 55 54 44 35 33 25 121 109 67 § 106 149
Dist. of Columbia 93 79 63 11 7 § 123 115 91 89 78 136
Florida 69 57 42 51 43 29 138 96 63 60 60 60
Georgia 76 67 53 56 51 37 117 93 63 73 104 144
Hawaii 61 49 36 38 25 23 § 45 19 133 99 97
Idaho 51 47 38 46 41 30 § § § 119 103 96
Illinois 63 55 39 37 31 20 146 115 72 95 98 80
Indiana 59 55 43 52 49 36 124 107 75 65 81 104
Iowa 41 37 33 38 34 27 119 101 84 80 101 110
Kansas 56 49 41 49 41 32 135 106 70 86 101 100
Kentucky 68 61 49 64 58 46 116 98 63 § 70 143
Louisiana 74 67 49 53 48 36 113 97 68 21 44 44
Maine 43 32 24 43 32 24 § § 40 § § §
Maryland 53 46 32 36 30 18 97 78 49 46 54 87
Massachusetts 35 31 22 24 21 13 94 68 41 121 101 73
Michigan 59 46 33 41 35 22 132 95 62 94 84 75
Minnesota 36 32 26 30 25 17 156 112 67 79 107 102
Mississippi 81 74 61 56 51 45 113 101 77 § 28 90
Missouri 63 53 43 50 45 36 145 107 70 46 70 99
Montana 48 39 35 39 32 26 § § § § 85 53
Nebraska 42 39 34 35 31 23 137 102 76 82 110 120
Nevada 73 70 50 61 52 27 133 107 64 108 115 88
New Hampshire 33 28 18 na 27 17 na 44 31 na 66 41
New Jersey 41 35 23 19 15 8 105 82 46 80 71 63
New Mexico 78 71 62 51 45 30 100 65 48 97 90 85
New York 44 40 27 25 23 14 86 69 40 82 73 59
North Carolina 68 62 49 51 47 32 107 90 63 106 127 157
North Dakota 35 32 30 29 26 20 § § § § 83 81
Ohio 58 50 39 47 42 31 130 101 74 74 79 86
Oklahoma 67 63 54 na 56 44 na 91 68 na 88 106
Oregon 55 51 33 51 44 24 112 89 45 114 116 93
Pennsylvania 45 38 30 32 27 19 128 98 67 126 109 106
Rhode Island 44 39 31 32 26 15 137 87 60 130 104 91
South Carolina 71 60 51 54 46 38 101 83 64 67 64 157
South Dakota 47 40 38 35 30 25 § § 48 § 74 83
Tennessee 72 65 55 61 55 44 122 100 76 41 81 174
Texas 75 73 62 49 46 33 117 93 63 104 105 98
Utah 49 41 33 44 36 24 § 67 49 115 107 99
Vermont 34 30 19 35 30 18 § § § § § §
Virginia 53 45 34 40 35 24 100 77 54 56 62 89
Washington 53 46 31 47 38 22 98 72 35 113 105 95
West Virginia 57 51 43 57 50 43 74 77 57 § § 31
Wisconsin 43 37 30 30 25 19 177 132 94 90 97 89
Wyoming 56 45 43 51 40 36 § § § 94 77 106
United States 60 54 41 43 38 26 116 92 61 100 95 82
† Women of Hispanic origin may be of any race.
§ Rates not deemed to be reliable due to small number of births or number of women in the group.
Source:  National Center for Health Statistics, “Trends in Characteristics of Births by State: United States, 1990, 1995, 2000-2002,” National Vital Statistics Reports, Vol. 52 (19), May 2004; 2005 rates calculated by ASPE.

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