Births: preliminary data for 2009

Objectives-This report presents preliminary data for 2009 on births in the United States. U.S. data on births are shown by age, live-birth order, race, and Hispanic origin of mother. Data on marital status, cesarean delivery, preterm births, and low birthweight (LBW) are also presented. Methods-Data in this report are based on 99.95 percent of births for 2009. The records are weighted to independent control counts of all births received in state vital statistics offices in 2009. Comparisons are made with final 2008 data. Results-The 2009 preliminary number of U.S. births declined 3 percent from 2008, to 4,131,019; the 2009 general fertility rate (66.7 per 1,000 women) and the total fertility rate (2,007.5 births per 1,000 women) declined (3 to 4 percent). The number of births and birth rates declined for all race and Hispanic origin groups in 2009. c The birth rate for U.S. teenagers 15-19 years fell 6 percent to 39.1 per 1,000, a record low for the United States. c Birth rates for younger and older teenagers and for Hispanic, non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic black, and Asian or Pacific Islander teenagers all reached historic lows in 2009. c The birth rates for women in their early 20s fell (7 percent, the largest percentage decline for this age group since 1973), as did the rates for women in their late 20s and 30s; the birth rate for women in their early 40s increased in 2009. c The birth rate for unmarried women declined almost 4 percent to 50.6 per 1,000 aged 15-44. The number of nonmarital births fell 2 percent to 1,693,850 in 2009, the first decline since 1996-1997. c The percentage of births to unmarried women, however, continued to increase in 2009. c The cesarean delivery rate rose to 32.9 percent in 2009, another record high. c The preterm birth rate declined for the third straight year to 12.18 percent of all births. c The LBW rate was essentially unchanged between 2008 and 2009 at 8.16 percent in 2009 but is down from 2006.