The U.S. teen birth rate declined by 7% to reach another record low in 2021, according to the most recent final report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The national rate of 13.9 births per 1,000 girls and women ages 15 to 19 marked a drop from 15.0 per 1,000 in 2020, with 29 states seeing notable declines in their specific rates. Since 2009, the national teen birth rate has hit a new low each year, fueling a broader trend in which the rate has dropped by 67% since 2007 and by 78% since 1991. Such declines may be due to less sexual activity among teens and more use of birth control among those who are sexually active, according to the CDC.
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Teen birth rate declines occurred across most racial and ethnic groups between 2020 and 2021, falling by 8% among both Black teens and Hispanic teens, and decreasing 9% among Asian teens and 7% among white teens. Rate declines among Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders as well as American Indian and Alaska Native teens were not significant, according to the CDC. Overall, rates were highest among AIAN (24.2), NHOPI (21.9) and Black (21.8) teens, and lowest among Asian teens (2.0).
By state, year-over-year declines in teen birth rates in 2021 ranged from 3% for New York to 24% for Maine, with rates remaining effectively unchanged in 21 states.
These are the 10 states with the highest teen birth rates in 2021.
No. 10: New Mexico
