The Sociology of Childhood

Abstract

Unless otherwise indicated, in this report, the words "teenagers" and "teens" refer to women aged 15-19.The report also includes numbers, and in some cases rates, shown separately for teens younger than 15, 15-17-year-olds and 18-19-year-olds. Key findingsState levels in 2008 (Tables 1.1-1.3,1.6)*• In 2008, New Mexico had the highest teenage pregnancy rate (93 pregnancies per 1,000 women aged 15-19); the next highest rates were in Mississippi, Texas, Nevada, Arkansas and Arizona.The lowest rates were in New Hampshire (33 per 1,000), Vermont, Minnesota, North Dakota and Massachusetts.* These observations exclude the District of Columbia, which is more comparable to a city than a state.• In 2008 and 2010, teenage birthrates were highest in Mississippi (55 per 1,000 in 2010), New Mexico, Arkansas and Texas.The states with the lowest teenage birthrates were New Hampshire (16 per 1,000 in 2010), Massachusetts, Vermont, Connecticut and New Jersey.• Teenage abortion rates in 2008 were highest in New York (37 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15-19), Delaware, New Jersey, Hawaii and Connecticut.By contrast, teenage abortion rates of seven or less were found in South Dakota (5 per 1,000), Utah, Nebraska and Kentucky.• More than half of teenage pregnancies (excluding miscarriages) ended in abortion in New Jersey, New York and Connecticut.• Fourteen percent or fewer teenage pregnancies ended in abortion in six states: Kentucky, South Dakota, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Utah and West Virginia.• In general, states with the largest numbers of teenagers also had the greatest numbers of teenage pregnancies in 2008.California recorded the highest number of pregnancies among women aged 15-19 (98,530), followed by Texas, New York, Florida and Illinois (with 31,000-76,000 each).The smallest numbers of teenage pregnancies were in Vermont, North Dakota, Wyoming, South Dakota and New Hampshire, all of which reported fewer than 1,600 pregnancies among teens.• While 18-19-year-olds comprised roughly 40% of all 15-19-year-old women in most states in 2008, their pregnancies accounted for 64-76% of all teen pregnancies.Trends (Table 1.3) Between 1988 and 2000, and again between 2000 and 2005, teenage pregnancy rates declined in every state.However, between 2005 and 2008, the rate decreased 5% or more in 7 states, while increasing by 5% or more in 16 states.These changes may indicate year-to-year fluctuations, rather than trends (see Discussion, below).• New Jersey experienced the largest decrease in the teen pregnancy rate between 2005 and 2008, dropping from 71 to 62 pregnancies per 1,000 women aged 15-19, a 13% decline.Rates in Nevada and Arizona dropped 9% and 8%, respectively, between 2005 and 2008.During the same period, Louisiana experienced the largest increase in the teen pregnancy rate of any state, its rate rising 19%, from 67 to 80 per 1,000.However, Louisiana's rate in 2005 was unusually low, probably because of disruptions caused by Hurricane Katrina.Utah and Pennsylvania also experienced rate increases of more than 10% (12% and 11%, respectively).• In 2005-2008, birthrates among teenagers aged 15-19 decreased most in Arizona (7%) and Florida (5%).Twenty-one states' teen birthrates increased 5% or more, with increases of at least 12% in Vermont, Louisiana, Utah, Montana and Wyoming.• Between 2005 and 2008, abortion rates among teens decreased 5% or more in 25 states, and five states experienced declines of 15% or more: New Jersey, Nevada, Vermont, Wisconsin and Wyoming.Abortion rates among teens increased 5% or more in only eight states, and the