Federal Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Programs (CRS Report for Congress)
| Release Date |
Revised Aug. 22, 2024 |
| Report Number |
IF10877 |
| Report Type |
In Focus |
| Authors |
Adrienne L. Fernandes-Alcantara |
| Source Agency |
Congressional Research Service |
| Older Revisions |
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Summary:
The U.S. teen birth rate—or the number of births per 1,000
females aged 15 to 19 each year—has steadily declined
since the early 1990s. The rate decreased by 78% from the
most recent high of 61.8 in 1991 to the most recent low of
13.6 in 2022 (the most recent data available). Researchers
suggest that multiple factors have influenced this decline;
such factors may include decreasing adolescent sexual
activity, particularly among younger teens, and increasing
use of contraceptives among sexually active youth.
Despite the downward trend in births among youth,
Congress continues to be interested in the issue of
adolescent pregnancy because of associated adverse health,
social, and economic challenges. Adolescent parents tend to
have less education and are more likely to have low income
than peers who are not adolescent parents. Children of
adolescent mothers are more likely to have poorer
educational and other outcomes than children of mothers
who delay childbearing. Adolescent childbearing can have
larger societal impacts, such as costs related to public sector
health care and lost tax revenue. In addition, adolescent
pregnancy rates vary substantially across racial and ethnic
groups and by region. Figure 1 displays adolescent birth
rates across the 50 states; Washington, DC; and four of the
insular areas in 2022. Eight states had the highest
adolescent birth rates (20 or higher); Mississippi was the
highest at 26.4. The rates for the insular areas ranged from
9.4 in the Northern Mariana Islands to 19.8 in Guam.
