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City Data

This section presents data on the health of infants living in cities compared to that of infants nationwide. Included are data on low and very low birth weight for infants that were born in U.S. cities with over 100,000 residents and infant mortality for infants born in cities with more than 250,000 residents.

The measures in this section indicate that the health status of infants living in large U.S. cities is generally poorer than that of infants in the Nation as a whole. In 2005, the percentage of infants born at low birth weight was 7 percent higher in cities compared to the national average (8.8 versus 8.2 percent). The infant mortality rate was also higher in cities, which may be at least partly attributable to the higher rate of low birth weight. In 2004, the city infant mortality rate was 7.4 per 1,000 live births, compared to a rate of 6.8 per 1,000 nationwide.  

The topics in this section include:

• Birth Weight
• Infant Mortality

Information on this page can be found in the print version of Child Health USA 2007. Suggested Citation: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, Maternal and Child Health Bureau. Child Health USA 2007. Rockville, Maryland: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2008.