Teen Birth Rate At Record Low Yet Again

Another year, another record low teen birth rate in the USA. I've written this post so many years since this blog started in 2005, that it is hard to recognize just how remarkable it is. The details are as follows:

In the United States, teen-aged moms are increasingly rare. In 2016, the teen birth rate dropped 9% compared to the previous year, a new government report published Friday found. This record low for teens having babies continues a long-term trend. 

The birth rate among teen girls has dropped 67% since 1991, according to the National Center for Health Statistics, which presented preliminary data for 2016 based on a majority (99.9%) of births. 

In 2016, the number of US births totaled 3,941,109, a decline of 1% compared to 2015. The fertility rate of 62 births per 1,000 women is a record low for the nation.

The number of births fell despite a growing U.S. population between 2015 and 2016.

Essentially all of the decrease in the teen birth rate, which has also been accompanied by a proportionate decreases in abortions, is due to to increased teen contraception use. Teens continue to have sex at more or less the same rates that they always have.

The decline in the teen birth rate, which is taking place much more rapidly among black and Hispanic teens is also the main factor equalizing total fertility rates between white and non-white women in the U.S.