Statistical Brief
No. 47
July 2017
1908 Mail Service Center ♦ Raleigh, NC 27699-1900
919.733.4728 ♦ www.schs.state.nc.us
Decline in Teen Births in North Carolina, 1996-2015
Matt Avery, M.A.
According to the National Campaign to
Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy,
teen childbearing costs taxpayers in North
Carolina over S325 million, and nationally
the annual cost is over $9.4 billion.1
Additionally, pregnancy and birth are
significant contributors to high school dropout
rates among girls, with only about 50 percent
of teen mothers receiving a high school
diploma by age 22, compared to 90 percent of
women who do not give birth as a teen.2 Teen
mothers are also more likely to rely on public
assistance, be poor as adults, and more likely
to have children with poorer health outcomes
over the course of their lives than children
born to older mothers.'
In North Carolina, the birth rate for teenagers
aged 15-19 (defined as births per 1,000
women ages 15-19) has fallen 62 percent
since 1996, reaching an all-time low of
23.5 in 2015. This mirrors national trends.
The United States teen birth rate declined 58 percent during the
same time period. Despite substantial declines, North Carolina
still ranks in the upper half (22nd) compared to other states.45
Furthermore, while all racial and ethnic groups experienced
reductions in teen birth rates, significant racial and ethnic
disparities in rates remain in North Carolina.
Methods
This report presents more detailed information on teen births
by maternal demographics and geography, using information
collected on live birth certificates for North Carolina residents
from 1996-2015.
Results
In 1996, there were 15,290 North Carolina resident teen (15-19)
births, resulting in a rate of 62.3 teen births per 1 ,000 teenage
women. By 2015, the number of teen births declined to 7,635.
In 2015, the teen birth rate hit a record low of 23.5, continuing
a trend of decreasing rates for the 9th consecutive year. The
steepest decline can be seen over the last five years, where rates
fell from 38.3 in 2010 to 23.5 in 2015 — a 38.6 percent decrease
(Figure 1).
The birthrate for North Carolina teenagers aged 15-17 declined
1 1 percent from 2014 to 20 15 to a historic low of 10.9 births per
1,000 females aged 15-17. The rate for this younger teen age
group has dropped 74 percent since 1996.
The rate for teenagers aged 18 19 decreased 7 percent from 2014
to 2015, to 42. 1 births per 1,000 females aged 18-19. The rate for
the older teenagers was also at an all-time low in 2015; down 54
percent since 1996.
As shown in Figure 2, teen birth rates declined for all race/
ethnicity groups from 1996-2015. All groups experienced
reductions of over 50 percent in their birth rates, with Hispanic
teens having the largest decline (-66.5 percent) and Non-
Hispanic American Indian teens having the lowest decrease
(-56.9 percent). Despite substantial decreases among all races
and ethnicities, disparities in teen birth rates persist, with Non-
Hispanic African American women having teen birth rates 1.7
times higher than Non-Hispanic white teens in 2015 (Table 1).