TEEN BIRTHS

This indicator reports the percent of total annual births occurring among females ages 19 years and under and the teen birth rate, which is a calculation of annual teen births per 1,000 females ages 15 to 19 years per year.

Giving birth as a teen can have profoundly negative consequences for both the teen parents and the infant. Teen births also have negative consequences for society. Teen mothers are less likely to get or stay married and less likely to complete high school or college. They are more likely to require public assistance and live in poverty than their peers who are not mothers.1 Infants born to teen mothers are at greater risk for low birth weight, preterm birth and death in infancy. These infants have a lower probability of obtaining the emotional and financial resources they need throughout childhood to develop into independent, productive, well-adjusted adults.2 For society, teen births in the United States cost taxpayers an estimated $5.2 billion in 2013. Estimated taxpayer costs were $590 million for California and $35 million for Orange County in 2013, with societal costs estimated to be even higher. Teen birth rates have declined significantly since 1991, representing an estimated annual U.S. taxpayer savings of $1.8 billion.3

• In 2015, 3.7% (1,392) of total annual births were to teen females ages 19 years and younger, a 50% decrease from 7.4% (3,265) in 2006. Overall, total births decreased 12.7% from 44,231 in 2006 to 37,621 births in 2015.

• The teen birth rate in Orange County in 2015 was 12.0 births per 1,000, a decrease of 61.7% from 31.3 births per 1,000 in 2006.

• At 12.0 births per 1,000 teen females, Orange County has a lower teen birth rate than California (19.0)4 and the United States (22.3).5

• When assessed by race/ethnicity, Hispanic teens had the highest birth rate (23.7), followed by Black (9.0), White (3.5) and Asian (1.6) teens.

• Cities with the highest rate of teen births include Santa Ana (28.2), Anaheim (24.8) and Buena Park (20.5).