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Explore national- and state-level data for hundreds of health, environmental and socioeconomic measures, including background information about each measure. Use features on this page to find measures; view subpopulations, trends and rankings; and download and share content.
United States Value:
Births per 1,000 females ages 15-19
Births per 1,000 Hispanic females ages 15-19
10.7 - 18.0
18.1 - 21.0
21.1 - 26.1
26.2 - 29.5
29.6 - 48.0
No Data
US Value: 13.1
Top State(s): New Hampshire: 4.6
Bottom State(s): Mississippi: 24.9
Definition: Births per 1,000 females ages 15-19
Data Source and Years(s): U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, National Vital Statistics System, Natality Public Use Files via CDC WONDER Online Database, 2023
Suggested Citation: America's Health Rankings analysis of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, National Vital Statistics System, Natality Public Use Files via CDC WONDER Online Database, United Health Foundation, AmericasHealthRankings.org, accessed 2026.
Substantial social, economic and health costs are associated with teen pregnancy and child-rearing. Teenage mothers are significantly more likely to drop out of high school and face unemployment. The children of teen mothers also have a higher risk of mental health issues, aggression and behavior problems, academic difficulties, continuous delinquent behavior and becoming teen mothers themselves.
Social stigma surrounding teen pregnancy creates significant stress for young mothers, making it harder for them to succeed. Teen mothers may experience stigma in health care settings, schools, and their communities. Stigmatization can cause feelings of isolation and shame, negative interactions with health care providers and barriers to accessing resources, all of which contribute to poorer health outcomes for teen mothers and their babies.
Teen births have declined steadily over the last several decades, but disparities persist. The rate of teen pregnancy is higher among:
Child Trends has published a research brief on school-based strategies to improve access to and quality of sexual and reproductive health services for students. Other effective teen pregnancy prevention strategies include:
“ACOG Committee Opinion No. 710: Counseling Adolescents About Contraception.” Obstetrics & Gynecology 130, no. 2 (August 2017): e74–80. https://doi.org/10.1097/AOG.0000000000002234.
Beltz, Martha A., Vanessa H. Sacks, Kristin A. Moore, and Mary Terzian. “State Policy and Teen Childbearing: A Review of Research Studies.” Journal of Adolescent Health 56, no. 2 (February 1, 2015): 130–38. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2014.11.001.
Briggs, Sydney, Lisa Kim, Ellen Wilson, and Elizabeth Wildsmith. School-Based Strategies to Support Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health. Research Brief. Child Trends, February 11, 2021. https://www.childtrends.org/publications/school-based-strategies-support-adolescent-sexual-reproductive-health.
Cederbaum, Julie A., Chung H. Jeong, Chaoyue Yuan, and Jungeun Olivia Lee. “Sex and Substance Use Behaviors among Children of Teen Mothers: A Systematic Review.” Journal of Adolescence 79 (February 1, 2020): 208–20. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2020.01.008.
Chin, Helen B., Theresa Ann Sipe, Randy Elder, Shawna L. Mercer, Sajal K. Chattopadhyay, Verughese Jacob, Holly R. Wethington, et al. “The Effectiveness of Group-Based Comprehensive Risk-Reduction and Abstinence Education Interventions to Prevent or Reduce the Risk of Adolescent Pregnancy, Human Immunodeficiency Virus, and Sexually Transmitted Infections: Two Systematic Reviews for the Guide to Community Preventive Services.” American Journal of Preventive Medicine 42, no. 3 (March 1, 2012): 272–94. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2011.11.006.
Hamilton, Brady E. “QuickStats: Birth Rates for Females Aged 15–19 Years, by Age Group — National Vital Statistics System, United States, 1991–2021.” MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 72, no. 3 (January 20, 2023): 83. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7203a8.
Hamilton, Brady E., Lauren M. Rossen, and Amy M. Branum. Teen Birth Rates for Urban and Rural Areas in the United States, 2007-2015. NCHS Data Brief No. 264. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics, November 2016. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27849147/.
Romero, Lisa, Karen Pazol, Lee Warner, Shanna Cox, Charlan Kroelinger, Ghenet Besera, Anna Brittain, Taleria R. Fuller, Emilia Koumans, and Wanda Barfield. “Reduced Disparities in Birth Rates Among Teens Aged 15–19 Years — United States, 2006–2007 and 2013–2014.” MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 65, no. 16 (April 29, 2016): 409–14. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6516a1.
SmithBattle, Lee, Sarah Bekaert, Wisitsri Phengnum, and Joanne Schneider. “Untangling Risky Discourse With Evidence: A Scoping Review of Outcomes for Teen Mothers’ Offspring.” Children and Youth Services Review 161 (June 2024): 107609. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2024.107609.
Wittenberg, Jean-Victor P., Lois T. Flaherty, Daniel F. Becker, Gordon Harper, Jake M. Crookall, Natasha Vianna, and Group for the Advancement of Psychiatry, Committee on Adolescence. “Stigma as a Source of Stress for Adolescent Mothers and Their Babies.” Journal of Nervous & Mental Disease 210, no. 9 (September 2022): 650–54.https://doi.org/10.1097/NMD.0000000000001545.
America’s Health Rankings builds on the work of the United Health Foundation to draw attention to public health and better understand the health of various populations. Our platform provides relevant information that policymakers, public health officials, advocates and leaders can use to effect change in their communities.
We have developed detailed analyses on the health of key populations in the country, including women and children, seniors and those who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces, in addition to a deep dive into health disparities across the country.
