Teen Births Hit a Record Low

A recent report from the National Center for Health Statistics based on 2012 data has found that fewer teens are having children. 

The data shows that births per 1,000 teenagers (ages 15-19) range from a low 13.8 in New Hampshire to a high of 47.5 in New Mexico, according to USA Today. The findings bring surprising and hopeful news for the future of many young women. 

"We know, for instance, that only about 40 percent of teen mothers ever graduate from high school," said Bill Albert, chief program officer of The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, via WebMD. "Translate that number -- 4 million fewer births -- into a much, much lower high school graduation rate, and think about the prospects for those young women in this day and age and in this economy. It's pretty sobering."

However, the findings also reveal extreme state variations based on both racial and ethnic backgrounds. For instance, while Asian or Pacific Islanders have the lowest teen birth rates at 9.7, Hispanic teens have a much higher rate at 46.3, while black teens are 43.9 and American Indian or Alaska Native are 34.9.

Even with the variations, there has been a decline in teen birth rates throughout all 50 states, with all race and ethnic groups experiencing a reduction in teenage parenthood.

These statistics show that now, the teen birth-rate is less than one-third of the historically highest rate, which occurred in 1957, when 96.3 out of every 1,000 teenage girls were pregnant. However, unlike most teen mothers today, teen mothers in the 50s were typically married.

"In the old era, most teens who had a baby were married and you could support a family on the education you had from high school, so it was not as much of a concern," said Stephanie Ventura, a senior demographer for the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics, via the news organization.