Article# 18

Teen Birth Rate Rises After 14 Years
4,265,996 Babies Born In 2006

The nation's teen birth rate has risen for the first time in 14 years, according to a new government report.
The teen birth rate had been dropping since 1991. The decline had slowed in recent years, but government statisticians said Wednesday it jumped 3 percent from 2005 to 2006, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report.
Overall, 4,265,996 babies were born in the U.S. in 2006.
The increase in births by teen mothers was based on the 15 to 19 age group, which accounted for about 99 percent of the more than 440,000 births to teens in 2006.
The rate rose to 41.9 live births per 1,000 females in that age group, up from 40.5 in 2005.
The all-time peak, in 1991, was 61.8 births per 1,000. At its lowest point, the rate had dropped 34 percent.
"It took us by surprise," said Stephanie Ventura of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a co-author of the report.
The birth data for 2006 also showed births to unmarried mothers hit a new record high, as part of a trend that started in 2002.
Also, the overall birth rate has climbed to its highest level since 1971, with the rate per woman climbing for women in their 20s, 30s and 40s.