Births: Preliminary Data for 2014

NCHS has just released a new report that presents preliminary data on births and birth rates and selected maternal and infant health characteristics for the United States in 2014.

Key Findings from the Report:

• The 2014 preliminary number of U.S. births was 3,985,924, an increase of 1% from 2013.
• The number of births increased for women in all race and Hispanic origin groups in 2014 except for American Indian or Alaska Native women, for whom births decreased.
• The general fertility rate was 62.9 births per 1,000 women aged 15–44, up 1% from 2013, and the first increase in the fertility rate since 2007.
• The birth rate for teenagers aged 15–19 decreased 9% in 2014 to 24.2 births per 1,000 women, yet another historic low for the nation; rates decreased for both younger and older teenagers to record lows. The birth rate for women in their early 20s declined to 79 births per 1,000 women, another record low.
• Birth rates for women in their 30s and early 40s increased in 2014.
• The nonmarital birth rate declined 1% in 2014, to 44.0 births per 1,000 unmarried women aged 15–44, dropping for six consecutive years.
• The cesarean delivery rate was down 2%, and the low-risk cesarean delivery rate was down 3%, in 2014.
• The preterm birth rate (based on a change in measure) was down in 2014 to 9.57%. The low birthweight rate was essentially unchanged in 2014 at 8%.