New York (ECN) - In December of 2007, the United States Centers for Disease Control reported that the teen birth rate had risen in 26 states. The trend represented all regions of the country, with the largest increase in Mississippi, with a hefty 68.4 out of 1000 recorded births being teen mothers. New Mexico ranked second with a 64.1 and Texas rounded out the top three with a 63.1.
Only three states reported lowering rates of teen births, North Dakota, Rhode Island, and New York, with the alarming trend of rising teen birth rates becoming widespread across the United States. One of the largest increases included a 3% increase in teens aged 15 through 19 years old. This trend represents the end of a 14 year streak of declining birth rates in this particular age group.
Ethnic groups with increases included non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic black, American Indian, and Alaskan Native teens in that age category all included increases of 3% - 5%. Hispanic teens had an increase of 2%, while Asian or Pacific Islander teen birth rates remained unchanged.
These statistics, released by the United States Centers for Disease Control, include data for all birth certificates issued in the entire country for the year 2006 and represent an alarming trend in an area where progress has previously been charted in the last decade.
