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National Snapshot

National Details

TEEN BIRTHS IN THE US, Girls 15 - 19
2015
229,715
NUMBER OF TEEN BIRTHS
2010
$9.4
BILLION SPENT ON TEEN CHILDBEARING

Teen Birth Rate

2015
22 BIRTHS PER 1,000 GIRLS
-8%%
CHANGE IN TEEN BIRTH RATE from 2014
-64%%
CHANGE IN TEEN BIRTH RATE from peak year 1991

Teen Birth Rate By Race/Ethnicity

Non-Hispanic White
2015
16 BIRTHS PER 1,000 GIRLS
-8%
CHANGE IN TEEN BIRTH RATE from 2014
-63%
CHANGE IN TEEN BIRTH RATE from peak year 1991
Non-Hispanic Black
2015
32 BIRTHS PER 1,000 GIRLS
-9%
CHANGE IN TEEN BIRTH RATE from 2014
-73%
CHANGE IN TEEN BIRTH RATE from peak year 1991
Hispanic
2015
35 BIRTHS PER 1,000 GIRLS
-8%
CHANGE IN TEEN BIRTH RATE from 2014
-67%
CHANGE IN TEEN BIRTH RATE from peak year 1991
American Indian / Alaska Native
2015
26 BIRTHS PER 1,000 GIRLS
-6%
CHANGE IN TEEN BIRTH RATE from 2014
-69%
CHANGE IN TEEN BIRTH RATE from peak year 1991
Asian / Pacific Islander
2015
7 BIRTHS PER 1,000 GIRLS
-10%
CHANGE IN TEEN BIRTH RATE from 2014
-75%
CHANGE IN TEEN BIRTH RATE from peak year 1991
TEEN PREGNANCY IN THE US, Girls 15 - 19
2011
553,000
NUMBER OF TEEN PREGNANCIES

Teen Pregnancy Rate

2011
52 PREGNANCIES PER 1,000 GIRLS
-9%
CHANGE IN TEEN PREGNANCY RATE from 2010
-55%
CHANGE IN TEEN PREGNANCY RATE from peak year 1990

Teen Pregnancy Rate By Race/Ethnicity

Non-Hispanic White
2011
35 PREGNANCIES PER 1,000 GIRLS
-6%
CHANGE IN TEEN PREGNANCY RATE from 2010
-58%
CHANGE IN TEEN PREGNANCY RATE from peak year 1991
Non-Hispanic Black
2011
93 PREGNANCIES PER 1,000 GIRLS
-8%
CHANGE IN TEEN PREGNANCY RATE from 2010
-58%
CHANGE IN TEEN PREGNANCY RATE from peak year 1991
Hispanic
2011
74 PREGNANCIES PER 1,000 GIRLS
-11%
CHANGE IN TEEN PREGNANCY RATE from 2010
-56%
CHANGE IN TEEN PREGNANCY RATE from peak year 1991
SEX AND CONTRACEPTION IN THE US, HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
41
2015
EVER HAD SEX
86
2015
USED ANY CONTRACEPTIVE METHOD AT LAST SEX
UNPLANNED PREGNANCY IN THE US, Women 15 - 44
45
2011
OF PREGNANCIES ARE UNPLANNED
69
2008
OF PREGNANCIES ARE UNPLANNED, AMONG UNMARRIED WOMEN 20 - 29
$21
2010
BILLION SPENT ON UNPLANNED PREGNANCIES
Teen Births In the US, Girls 15 - 19
2015
Number of Teen Births
Number of Births to Girls Age 15-19
229,715
2010
Costs of Teen Childbearing
Costs of Teen Childbearing (in Millions of $)
$9.4 billion
2015
Number of Teen Births by Race/Ethnicity
Non-Hispanic White
90,833
Non-Hispanic Black
50,039
Hispanic
80,364
American Indian/Alaska Native
4,738
Asian/Pacific Islander
4,297
2015
Proportion of Teen Births by Age*
Girls Under 15
1%
Girls 15-17
26%
Girls 18-19
73%
2015
Teen Birth Rate
Teen Birth Rate Among Girls Age 15-19
22 Births per 1,000 Girls
2015
Change in Teen Birth Rate
From 2014
-8%
From peak year, 1991
-64%
2015
Teen Birth Rate by Race/Ethnicity
Non-Hispanic White
16 Births per 1,000 Girls
Non-Hispanic Black
32 Births per 1,000 Girls
Hispanic
35 Births per 1,000 Girls
American Indian/Alaska Native
26 Births per 1,000 Girls
Asian/Pacific Islander
7 Births per 1,000 Girls
2015
Change in Teen Birth Rate by Race/Ethnicity from 2014
Non-Hispanic White
-8%
Non-Hispanic Black
-9%
Hispanic
-8%
American Indian/Alaska Native
-6%
Asian/Pacific Islander
-10%
2015
Change in Teen Birth Rates by Race/Ethnicity from peak year, 1991
Non-Hispanic White
-63%
Non-Hispanic Black
-73%
Hispanic
-67%
American Indian/Alaska Native
-69%
Asian/Pacific Islander
-75%
2015
Teen Birth Rate by Age
Girls 15-17
10 Births per 1,000 Girls
Girls 18-19
41 Births per 1,000 Girls
2015
Change in Teen Birth Rate by Age from 2014
Girls 15-17
-9%
Girls 18-19
-7%
2015
Change in Teen Birth Rates By Age from peak year, 1991
Girls 15-17
-74%
Girls 18-19
-57%
2015
Proportion of Teen Births by Birth Order †
First Births
83%
Subsequent Births
17%
2012
Percent that are Subsequent Teen Births by Race/Ethnicity †
Non-Hispanic White
N/A
Non-Hispanic Black
N/A
Hispanic
N/A
American Indian/Alaska Native
N/A
Asian/Pacific Islander
N/A
2015
Percent of Teen Births that are Nonmarital
Unmarried Girls
89%
Teen Pregnancy In the US, Girls 15 - 19
2011
Number of Teen Pregnancies
Number of Teen Pregnancies Among Girls Age 15-19
553,000
2011
Proportion of Teen Pregnancies by Age *
Girls Under 15
2%
Girls 15-17
29%
Girls 18-19
69%
2011
Teen Pregnancy Rate
Teen Pregnancy Rate Among Girls Age 15-19
52 Pregnancies per 1,000 Girls
2011
Change in Teen Pregnancy Rate
From 2010
-9%
From peak year, 1990
-55%
2011
Teen Pregnancy Rate by Race/Ethnicity
Non-Hispanic White
35 Pregnancies per 1,000 Girls
Non-Hispanic Black
93 Pregnancies per 1,000 Girls
Hispanic
74 Pregnancies per 1,000 Girls
2011
Change in Teen Pregnancy Rate by Race/Ethnicity from 2010
Non-Hispanic White
-6%
Non-Hispanic Black §
-8%
Hispanic
-11%
2011
Change in Teen Pregnancy Rate by Race/Ethnicity from peak year, 1991 ‡
Non-Hispanic White
-58%
Non-Hispanic Black §
-58%
Hispanic
-56%
2011
Teen Pregnancy Rate by Age
Girls 15-17
27 Pregnancies per 1,000 Girls
Girls 18-19
89 Pregnancies per 1,000 Girls
2011
Change in Teen Pregnancy Rate by Age from 2010
Girls 15-17
-12%
Girls 18-19
-8%
2011
Change in Teen Pregnancy Rate by Age from peak year, 1990
Girls 15-17
-64%
Girls 18-19
-49%
Sex & Contraception In the US, High school students
2015
Ever Had Sex
Students Who Have Ever Had Sex
41%
2015
Ever Had Sex by Grade
Grade 9
24%
Grade 10
36%
Grade 11
50%
Grade 12
58%
2015
Ever Had Sex by Gender
Males
43%
Females
39%
2015
Ever Had Sex by Race/Ethnicity
Non-Hispanic White
40%
Non-Hispanic Black
49%
Hispanic
43%
American Indian/Alaska Native
39%
Asian/Pacific Islander
19%
2015
Sexually Active
Students Who Had Sexual Intercourse in the Previous Three Months
30%
2015
Sexually Active by Grade
Grade 9
16%
Grade 10
26%
Grade 11
35%
Grade 12
46%
2015
Sexually Active by Gender
Males
30%
Females
30%
2015
Sexually Active by Race/Ethnicity
Non-Hispanic White
30%
Non-Hispanic Black
33%
Hispanic
30%
American Indian/Alaska Native
31%
Asian/Pacific Islander
12%
2015
Sex Before Age 13
Students Who Had Sex for the First Time Before Age 13
4%
2015
Sex Before Age 13 by Grade
Grade 9
4%
Grade 10
5%
Grade 11
3%
Grade 12
4%
2015
Sex Before Age 13 by Gender
Males
6%
Females
2%
2015
Sex Before Age 13 by Race/Ethnicity
Non-Hispanic White
3%
Non-Hispanic Black
8%
Hispanic
5%
American Indian/Alaska Native
2%
Asian/Pacific Islander
1%
2015
Four or More Sexual Partners
Four or More Sexual Partners
11%
2015
Four or More Sexual Partners by Grade
Grade 9
5%
Grade 10
9%
Grade 11
13%
Grade 12
19%
2015
Four or More Sexual Partners by Gender
Males
14%
Females
9%
2015
Four or More Sexual Partners by Race/Ethnicity
Non-Hispanic White
10%
Non-Hispanic Black
19%
Hispanic
11%
American Indian/Alaska Native
11%
Asian/Pacific Islander
5%
2015
Used Any Contraceptive Method at Last Sex
Used Any Method at Last Sex
86%
2015
Used Any Contraceptive Method at Last Sex by Grade
Grade 9
84%
Grade 10
88%
Grade 11
89%
Grade 12
85%
2015
Used Any Contraceptive Method at Last Sex by Gender
Females
85%
Males
88%
2015
Used Any Contraceptive Method at Last Sex by Race/Ethnicity
Non-Hispanic White
90%
Non-Hispanic Black
84%
Hispanic
80%
American Indian/Alaska Native
N/A
Asian/Pacific Islander
N/A
2015
Used a Condom at Last Sex
Used a Condom at Last Sex
57%
2015
Used a Condom at Last Sex by Grade
Grade 9
61%
Grade 10
60%
Grade 11
58%
Grade 12
53%
2015
Used a Condom at Last Sex by Gender
Males
62%
Females
52%
2015
Used a Condom at Last Sex by Race/Ethnicity
Non-Hispanic White
57%
Non-Hispanic Black
63%
Hispanic
56%
American Indian/Alaska Native
N/A
Asian/Pacific Islander
N/A
2015
Used Birth Control Pills at Last Sex
Sexually Active High School Students Who Used Birth Control Pills at Last Sex
18%
2015
Used Birth Control Pills at Last Sex by Grade
Grade 9
11%
Grade 10
16%
Grade 11
22%
Grade 12
20%
2015
Used Birth Control Pills at Last Sex by Gender
Males
15%
Females
21%
2015
Used Birth Control Pills at Last Sex by Race/Ethnicity
Non-Hispanic White
23%
Non-Hispanic Black
9%
Hispanic
12%
American Indian/Alaska Native
N/A
Asian/Pacific Islander
N/A
2015
Used Any Hormonal or Long Acting Method at Last Sex
Used Any Hormonal Method at Last Sex
27%
2015
Used Any Hormonal or Long Acting Method at Last Sex by Grade
Grade 9
16%
Grade 10
24%
Grade 11
31%
Grade 12
30%
2015
Used Any Hormonal or Long Acting Method at Last Sex by Gender
Females
34%
Males
20%
2015
Used Any Hormonal or Long Acting Method at Last Sex by Race/Ethnicity
Non-Hispanic White
33%
Non-Hispanic Black
16%
Hispanic
18%
American Indian/Alaska Native
N/A
Asian/Pacific Islander
N/A
Unplanned Pregnancy In the US, Women 15 - 44
2011
Percent of Pregnancies that are Unplanned
Among Women Overall
45%
2008
Percent of Pregnancies that are Unplanned
Among Unmarried Women 20-29
69%
2011
Unplanned Pregnancy Rate
Among Women Overall
45 Pregnancies per 1,000 Women
2008
Unplanned Pregnancy Rate
Among Unmarried Women 20-29
95 Pregnancies per 1,000 Women
2010
Public Costs of Unplanned Pregnancies
Public Costs of Births Resulting from Unplanned Pregnancies (in Millions of $)
$21.0 billion
View State Profiles
View 50 State Comparisons

National & State Data

The StoryFact SheetsSourcesTerms & FAQs

The National Story

U.S. teen pregnancy and birth rates have declined dramatically over the past two decades and are now at historic lows. There has been significant progress in all 50 states and among all racial/ethnic groups. Even so, U.S. rates of teen childbearing remain far higher than in other comparable countries.  

As of 2015, the teen birth rate was 22 births per 1,000 teen girls (age 15-19), and there were 229,888 births to teen girls. Since its peak in 1991, the teen birth rate declined by 64%. In the past year alone, it dropped by 8%. In 2010, public spending on teen childbearing totaled an estimated $9.4 billion.

  • The teen birth rate among non-Hispanic white teens was 16 births per 1,000 in 2015; a 14% decline from 2013 and a 63% decline from 1991.
  • The teen birth rate among non-Hispanic black teens was 32 births per 1,000 in 2015; a 18% decline from 2013 and a 73% decline from 1991.
  • The teen birth rate among Hispanic teens was 35 births per 1,000 teens in 2015; a 16% decline from 2013 and a 67% decline since 1991.
  • The teen birth rate among American Indian or Alaska Native teens was 26 births per 1,000 teens in 2014; a 17% decline from 2013 and a 69% decline since 1991.
  • The teen birth rate among Asian or Pacific Islander teens was 7 births per 1,000 teens in 2015; a 21% decline from 2013 and a 75% decline from 1991.

The teen pregnancy rate, which includes all pregnancies rather than just those that resulted in a birth, has also fallen steeply. As of 2011 (the most recent data available), the rate was 52 pregnancies per 1,000 teen girls (age 15-19); some 553,000 teen pregnancies. The teen pregnancy rate has declined by 55% since its peak in 1990, and by 9% in the past year alone.

  • The teen pregnancy rate among non-Hispanic white teens was 35 pregnancies per 1,000 in 2011; a 6% decline from 2010 and a 58% decline from 1991.
  • The teen pregnancy rate among non-Hispanic black teens was 93 pregnancies per 1,000 in 2011; a 8% decline from 2010 and a 58% decline from 1991.
  • The teen pregnancy rate among Hispanic teens was 74 pregnancies per 1,000 teens in 2011; a 11% decline from 2010 and a 56% decline since 1991.

In 2015, among high school students who were sexually active, 86% reported using any method of contraception the last time they had sex.  Roughly four in ten high school students have ever had sex (41%).

When looking at women overall, not just teens, nearly half (45%) of all pregnancies are described by women themselves as unplanned. Among unmarried women in their twenties, 69% of pregnancies are unplanned. In 2010, public spending for unplanned pregnancies totaled an estimated $21.0 billion. 

Notes: The data here represent the most recently available from a variety of sources. The most recent year available will varies by indicator. 

Fact Sheets

Fact Sheets
Teen Childbearing in the United States, 2014-2015 Birth Data
June 2016
Our Fast Facts fact sheet series details data on teen pregnancy, birth, and childbearing including information on: race and ethnicity, sexual behavior, contraceptive use, and trends in the United States.
Fact Sheets
Fast Facts: Teen Pregnancy in the United States
April 2016
Our Fast Facts fact sheet series details data on teen pregnancy, birth, and childbearing including information on: race and ethnicity, sexual behavior, contraceptive use, and trends in the United States.
Fact Sheets
Fast Facts: Teen Pregnancy and Childbearing Among Non-Hispanic Black Teens
April 2016
Our Fast Facts fact sheet series details data on teen pregnancy, birth, and childbearing including information on: race and ethnicity, sexual behavior, contraceptive use, and trends in the United States.
Fact Sheets
Fast Facts: Teen Pregnancy and Childbearing Among Latina Teens
April 2016
Our Fast Facts fact sheet series details data on teen pregnancy, birth, and childbearing including information on: race and ethnicity, sexual behavior, contraceptive use, and trends in the United States.
Teen Contraceptive Use
Fact Sheets
Fast Facts: Teen Sexual Behavior and Contraceptive Use: Data from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 2013
August 2014
Our Fast Facts fact sheet series details data on teen pregnancy, birth, and childbearing including information on: race and ethnicity, sexual behavior, contraceptive use, and trends in the United States.
Fact Sheets
Fast Facts: Non-Hispanic Black Teens' Sexual Behavior and Contraceptive Use: Data from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 2013
August 2014
Our Fast Facts fact sheet series details data on teen pregnancy, birth, and childbearing including information on: race and ethnicity, sexual behavior, contraceptive use, and trends in the United States.
Fast Facts Hispanic Teen Survey 2013
Fact Sheets
Fast Facts: Hispanic Teens' Sexual Behavior and Contraceptive Use: Data from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 2013
August 2014
Our Fast Facts fact sheet series details data on teen pregnancy, birth, and childbearing including information on: race and ethnicity, sexual behavior, contraceptive use, and trends in the United States.
Fact Sheets
Fast Facts: How Does the United States Compare?
August 2014
Our Fast Facts fact sheet series details data on teen pregnancy, birth, and childbearing including information on: race and ethnicity, sexual behavior, contraceptive use, and trends in the United States.
Fact Sheets
Historic Teen Birth Rates: 1991-2014
January 2016
This chart tracks teen birth rates in the United States from 1991 through 2014.
Fact Sheets
Historic Teen Pregnancy Rates: 1988-2011
April 2016
This chart tracks teen pregnancy rates in the United States from 1988 through 2011.
Briefly-1-in-4-statistic-January-2015
Fact Sheets
Briefly: How is the 'Roughly 1 in 4' Statistic Calculated?
January 2015
Analysis released when The National Campaign was formed in 1996 suggested that more than 4 out of 10 girls in the United States became pregnant at least once before age 20.  Since then, this percentage has declined steadily, so that it was subsequently characterized as “1 in 3,” then “nearly 3 in...

Sources

Teen Births

Martin, J.A.,  Hamilton, B.E.,  Osterman, M.J.K.,  Driscoll, A.K., & Mathews, T.J. (2015).  Births:  Final Data for 2015.  National Vital Statistics Reports, 66(1), 1-70.  Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr66/nvsr66_01.pdf.

Hamilton, B.E.,  Martin, J.A.,  Osterman, M.J.K.,  Curtin, S.C., & Mathews, T.J. (2015).  Births:  Final Data for 2014.  National Vital Statistics Reports, 64(12), 1-64.  Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr64/nvsr64_12.pdf.

The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. (2014). Counting It Up: The Public Costs of Teen Childbearing. Washington, DC: Author. Available at /why-it-matters/public-cost.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2016). VitalStats [Interactive Data Tables]. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics.  Retrieved July 2016 from http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/vitalstats.htm.

Teen Pregnancy

Kost, K., & Maddow-Zimet, I. (2016).  U.S. Teenage Pregnancies, Births and Abortions, 2011:  National Trends by Age, Race and Ethnicity.   New York: Guttmacher Institute. Retrieved from: https://www.guttmacher.org/report/us-teen-pregnancy-trends-2011.

Kost, K., & Maddow-Zimet, I. (2016).  U.S. Teenage Pregnancies, Births and Abortions, 2011:  State Trends by Age, Race and Ethnicity.  New York:  Guttmacher Institute.  Retrieved from: https://www.guttmacher.org/report/us-teen-pregnancy-state-trends-2011.

Curtin, S.C., Abma, J.C., Ventura, S.J., & Henshaw, S.K. (2013). Pregnancy Rates for U.S. Women Continue to Drop.  NCHS Data Brief, No. 136.  Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics.  Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db136.pdf.

Sex & Contraception

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2016). 1991-2015 High School Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System Data.  Youth Online [Interactive Data Tables]. Available at http://nccd.cdc.gov/youthonline.

Unplanned Pregnancy

Finer, L.B., & Zolna, M.R. (2016). Declines in Unintended Pregnancy in the United States, 2008-2011. New England Journal of Medicine, 374,  843-852. Retrieved from www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMsa1506575.

Zolna, M., & Lindberg, L. (2012).  Unintended Pregnancy: Incidence and Outcomes Among Young Adult Unmarried Women in the United States, 2001 and 2008.  New York: Guttmacher Institute.  Retrieved from http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/unintended-pregnancy-US-2001-2008.pdf.

Kost, K. (2015). Unintended Pregnancy Rates at the State Level: Estimates for 2010 and Trends Since 2002.  New York: Guttmacher Institute.  Retrieved from http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/StateUP10.pdf.

Sonfield, A., & Kost, K. (2015). Public Costs from Unintended Pregnancies and the Role of Public Insurance Programs in Paying for Pregnancy-Related Care: National and State Estimates for 2010.  New York: Guttmacher Institute.  Retrieved from http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/public-costs-of-UP-2010.pdf.

Terms & FAQs

* While all other measures refer to teens age 15-19, the proportion of teen births and pregnancies by age are measured for all women younger than 20.  When data on births and pregnancies to girls under 15  are not available,  this proportion is measured only among 15-19 year olds.   These proportions may not add to 100%, due to rounding.   Proportions which are less than 0.5% are rounded down to 0%.

ᵻ Births for which birth order is unknown are not included.

§ The national decline in the teen pregnancy rate by race/ethnicity is measured since 1991 rather than 1990 (the peak year) because rates by race/ethnicity are no longer uniformly available for 1990.   Also, while the current teen pregnancy rate reflects non-Hispanic black teens, the decline in the teen pregnancy rate is calculated among black teens overall due to data availability; this raises little concern given that rates for black teens overall and for non-Hispanic black teens are nearly identical.

‡ State-level teen pregnancy rates were not uniformly available in 1990, the peak year of the national rate. The decline by state is measured since 1988 for teen girls overall, and by age group.   The decline by state by race/ethnicity is measured since 1992 due to data availability. Declines over time for teens overall reflect published revisions made to historical teen pregnancy rates.  Such revisions were not published for historical teen pregnancy rates by age or by race/ethnicity, so declines for these groups are based on historical data published earlier by the Guttmacher Institute.  This inconsistency raises little concern given that, for teens overall, the original and revised teen pregnancy rates are nearly identical.  Even so, the declines by age and by race/ethnicity presented here should be considered an approximation.

Teen Birth Rate: The number of births per 1,000 teen girls, age 15-19.

Teen Pregnancy Rate: The number of pregnancies per 1,000 teen girls, age 15-19. Pregnancies include births, abortions, and miscarriages.

Birth Order/ Subsequent Births/Parity:   These statistics measure whether a birth is the mother’s 1st birth or a subsequent birth (that is, a woman’s 2nd birth, 3rd birth, or higher order birth).   This excludes births for which birth order was unknown.   

Sexually Active: A teen who has had sex within the last three months.

Four or more sexual partners: Proportion of high school students with four or more lifetime partners.

IUD:  Intra-uterine device.    This is a long-term, low maintenance, highly effective contraceptive method that is inserted into the uterus.   This includes both the nonhormonal copper IUD (Paragard), and the plastic IUD, which includes hormones (Mirena and Skyla). 

Used Any Hormonal or Long Acting Method at Last Sex: Used birth control pills, or Depo-Provera (or any injectable birth control), NuvaRing (or any birth control ring), Implanon (or any implant), or any IUD.

Public Cost of Unplanned Pregnancies: This measures the public costs only for births resulting from unplanned pregnancies.

 

FAQs

1. What is the difference between birth data and pregnancy data?

A pregnancy can result in a live birth, an abortion, or a miscarriage.  Pregnancy data include all pregnancies (births, abortions and miscarriages), while birth data reflect only live births.   Also, while birth data are based on a near 100% accounting of every birth in the country, pregnancy data incorporate an estimate of miscarriages and abortion numbers that draw on various reporting systems and surveys.  Pregnancy data are generally released a year or two after birth data because it takes time to incorporate these different components.   The Guttmacher Institute and the National Center for Health Statistics wtihin the Centers for Disease Control both publish teen pregnancy rates.  Although their methodologies differ slightly, both rely on largely the same underlying data sources, and their results are very similar (for more detail, see: http://thenationalcampaign.org/resource/fast-facts-teen-pregnancy-united-states).

 

2. Where do you get your data?

Our data are compiled from a variety of published sources. Birth statistics are based on vital statistics data published by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Pregnancy statistics are based on published reports from NCHS and the Guttmacher Institute. Statistics on sexual activity and contraceptive use are based on the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey published by the Division of Adolescent and School Health within the CDC. State policy data are routinely summarized from reports published by the Guttmacher Institute. To maximize consistency across states, we rely on these national sources rather than state or local sources. Please refer to Sources for more detailed information.

3. Do you have any more recent data?

We make every effort to continuously update our data portal whenever new data are released. The most recent year of data available will vary by indicator. In some cases, an indicator may be available for a more recent year in particular states or localities, however we update an indicator only once it’s been released by a national source for all states.

4. Why don’t you have more recent teen pregnancy data?

Unlike teen birth data, which are routinely released in the following year, there is generally a one to two year lag in the release of teen pregnancy data. Our teen pregnancy data come from publications released by NCHS and the Guttmacher Institute, which combines data from NCHS birth and population data along with the Guttmacher Institute survey of abortion providers to estimate the number and rate of teenage pregnancies. If you need a more recent indicator, consider using teen birth data instead.

5. But I heard that more recent teen pregnancy data were available.

It’s possible that this may have been a reference to teen birth data. Or it may be that, for a particular state or locality, more recent teen pregnancy data are available. We update our statistics only once new data are available for all states.

6. Can I get a copy of your dataset?

Our dataset can be directly downloaded from the website. You can access national- and state-level data, however, no data are available below state-level.

7. How can I open the dataset file?

The easiest way is to double-click the file and select Excel as the program.  Select "Open" or "Yes" as you continue through the prompts.  

Alternatively,  you can rename the file to add the file extension ". csv", and directly open it within excel.   (For example, "national-details" becomes "national-details.csv").

If you open the dataset from the File dropdown menu within Excel,  you will be directed to use the Text Import Wizard.   For Step 1, select "Delimited".  For Step 2,  uncheck "Tab" and check "Comma".  For Step 3, select "General", and then "Finish".

8. Do the data on sexual activity and contraception represent all teens?

No, these data only represent teens in high school—they do not reflect the experiences of teens who have graduated high school or who left high school for other reasons.

Data on contraceptive use are only measured among sexually active high school students.

9. What is meant by unplanned pregnancy?

An unplanned pregnancy is a pregnancy that the woman herself reports was not intended at the time of conception—either she reports that she did not want to get pregnant ever, or she reports that she got pregnant earlier than she had intended.

10. What does “per 1,000 Girls” mean?

“Per 1,000 girls” is a rate, and we often use rates because they provide a more appropriate comparison across different size populations.   For example, you might want to compare teen childbearing in California and North Dakota.   If you just examined the number of teen births, you would think that teen childbearing was more common in California than North Dakota – 38,606 births compared to 647 births in 2011.   However, the rate—because it accounts for the population size—shows us that teen childbearing was remarkably similar in both states – each had a rate of 26.5 births per 1,000 teen girls in 2012.  

It is common to confuse a rate per 1,000 with a percentage, but they are not the same.    A percentage is measured per 100, while rates are commonly measured per 1,000.   To get a sense of the difference, consider that a teen birth rate of 26.5 births per 1,000 teen girls equates to a percentage of 2.65% teen girls having a birth each year.  The relative frequency of teen births each year is typically expressed as a rate, not a percentage.  

11. What does "N/A" mean?

N/A refers to data that are not available for a variety of reasons:

  •    Rates are not calculated when either the numerator or the denominator is not large enough to produce a stable rate.   
  •    Pregnancy rates by race/ethnicity are not available for states where abortion data is not collected by race/ethnicity. 
  •    Some states do not participate in the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS), the source for all of the statistics in the "Sex and Contraception" section.
  •    Changes in a rate over time are calculated only if rates are available for both years.   
  •    ​Changes in a state-level rate are not calculated if the data source determined there was no real change.

We follow the guidelines provided in the methodology of each data source.   For more information, please refer to the Sources section.
 

12. Where can I find additional data?

The Centers for Disease Control, from which we gather many of the statistics presented here, also has available several interactive table generators that are easy to use.  You can use these tools to find more detailed statistics, focus on a smaller geographic area, or find data for a more narrowly defined demographic group.  Below are a few examples:

Please visit our Sources section for further information.

A group of teenage girls