New data on births rates from the CDC finds that last year the CSG-ERC region had significantly lower teen birth rates than the rest of the nation, with the exception of Puerto Rico. In both 2013 and 2014, Massachusetts had the lowest teen birth rate both in the region and across all states. Nationally the rate of births to mothers ages 15 to 19 dropped by 8.7% from 2013 to 2014 to a historic low and the average mothers’ age at first birth rose to 26.3 Teen birth rates dropped across all races and ethnicities from 2013 to 2014. Teen birth rates dropped for all ERC states over that time; Delaware had the greatest drop at 16.2%. Nationally the rate of cesarean section births continued to drop last year to 32.2% but rates of low birth weight didn’t change.
| 2013
Births/1000 women ages 15 to 19 |
2014
Births/1000 women ages 15 to 19 |
Change
2013-2014 |
% Change
|
|
| US | 26.5 | 24.2 | -2.3 | -8.7 |
| CT | 12.9 | 11.5 | -1.4 | -10.9 |
| DE | 24.7 | 20.7 | -4 | -16.2 |
| ME | 17.4 | 16.5 | -0.9 | -5.2 |
| MD | 19.4 | 17.8 | -1.6 | -8.2 |
| MA | 12.1 | 10.6 | -1.5 | -12.4 |
| NH | 12.6 | 11.0 | -1.6 | -12.7 |
| NJ | 14.8 | 13.1 | -1.7 | -11.5 |
| NY | 17.7 | 16.1 | -1.6 | -9.0 |
| PA | 20.9 | 19.3 | -1.6 | -7.7 |
| RI | 17.7 | 15.8 | -1.9 | -10.7 |
| VT | 14.5 | 14.2 | -0.3 | -2.1 |
| PR | 44.6 | 40.4 | -4.2 | -9.4 |
