In March 2009, the CDC released the report Births: Preliminary Data for 2007.[1] This report includes three important findings. First, the preliminary data show a 1% rise in total births from 2006 to 2007, making 2007 the year with the highest number of births ever recorded in the US. The general fertility rate increased in all racial/ethnic groups and almost all age groups.

Second, the teen birth rate rose for the second year in a row. These preliminary data show a birth rate of 42.5 births per 1000 teenagers in 2007, up from 41.9 in 2006. Unfortunately, these rates vary greatly within the population, disproportionately affecting racial and ethnic minorities. The teen birth rate for non-Hispanic white females is 27.2 per 1000, while the teen birth rates for non-Hispanic black, American Indian/Alaska Native, and Hispanic females are 64.3, 59.0, and 81.7 per 1000, respectively. Overall, these preliminary rates represent an increase of 1% between 2006 and 2007 and 5% between 2005 and 2007. This recent increase follows a 34% decrease between the years of 1991 and 2005.

Third, the trend to increasing births among unmarried women continued in every age group and racial/ethnic group. The preliminary data show a 5% increase from 2006 to 2007 and an overall increase of 21% from 2002 to 2007. Women aged 25-39 experienced the greatest increase in number of nonmarital births, while the proportion of nonmarital births attributable to teens (23%) continued to fall.

Mirroring the discrepant teen birth rates, increases in nonmarital births affected racial and ethnic minorities more heavily than the white population. While the proportion of nonmarital births for the US population as a whole is 39.7%, the proportions among non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic Black, American Indian/Alaska Native, and Hispanic females are 27.8%, 71.6%, 65.2 %, and 51.3%, respectively.

Here are some points to consider when evaluating this report:

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