What Do U.S. Geographic “Hot Spots” for Teen Pregnancy Tell Us?

Only 50% of teenaged mothers live above the poverty line, and only 50% earn high school diplomas, highlighting two key sequelae of early pregnancy. Birth rates are highest in the southern U.S. To better understand the causes of teen pregnancy, investigators surveyed rates of live birth among teens (age range, 15–19 years) at a more granular level: by U.S. county.

Teen birth rates varied widely, with “hot spots” having rates up to 87% higher than neighboring counties. To understand the extent to which poverty and lack of education confounds these observations, the authors created maps adjusted for these two variables. Although each adjustment shifted the distribution of hot spots, neither fully explained the substantial variations in rates. N…