Trends in characteristics of births by State: United States, 1990, 1995, and 2000-2002.

OBJECTIVE This report presents U.S. and State-level data on births, birth rates, fertility rates, sex ratio, marital status, and educational attainment by race and Hispanic origin for 1990, 1995, and 2000-2002. METHODS Data are presented in detailed tables, summary tables, maps, and graphs. RESULTS In 2002 there were 4,021,726 live births in the United States, 136,486 fewer than in 1990. Despite a slight decline in the number of births nationwide, a few States witnessed significant increases in the number of live births with most of these States located in the western United States. Some of the westward shift in number of births is attributable to a growing population and some to the age and race composition of the individual States. However, real differences in fertility by State persist even when the effects of age structure and race and ethnic composition of the States' population are taken into account. This report also presents data on sex ratios, percentage unmarried, and educational attainment of mothers. Several observations from these data are noteworthy. The proportion of births to unmarried mothers increased nationally and in every State between 1990 and 2002. Nationally the percentage of mothers with fewer than 12 years of education fell, and the percentage with 16 or more years increased for all racial and ethnic groups. However, at the State level, the percentage of women with fewer than 12 years of education increased for nearly a quarter of the States, despite near universal increases in the percentage of women with 16 or more years of education.