Birth in America — By the Numbers

U.S. vital statistics data for 2011 show that the crude birth rate was the lowest ever reported. Teen birth rates dropped steadily during the preceding 5 years among all racial/ethnic subgroups and also reached a historic low, although teen births remained twice as common in blacks and Hispanics as in whites. Since 1990, the number of pregnancies affected by diabetes more than doubled. Prevalence of preterm birth fell slightly but varied greatly by state (8.8 per 1000 live births in Vermont vs. 16.9 per 1000 in Mississippi).

Although the proportion of infants dying within 1 year of birth declined between 2005 and 2011, infant mortality rates also varied by state (3.8 per 1000 live births in Alaska vs. 10.0 per 1000 in Mississippi) and mortal…