Detroit has the highest percentage of teen births (20% of all births in the city are to mothers under age 20), followed by Cleveland (19%), Jackson, MS, and Memphis (both at 18%).
San Francisco has the lowest percentage of teen births (3% of all births in the city are to mothers under age 20), followed by Seattle (4%) and Honolulu (6%).
The report also includes data by city on the percentage of teen births that are repeat births (two or more births to teen mothers):
Dallas has the highest percentage of teen births that are repeat births (28% of all teen births in the city are repeat births), followed by Jackson, MS (27%), and four cities at 26% (Providence, San Antonio, Cincinnati, and Oklahoma City).
Boston has the lowest percentage of teen births that are repeat births (11% of all teen births in the city are repeat births), followed by four cities at 14% (San Francisco, Honolulu, Virginia Beach, and New York).
The report, which is based primarily on Child Trends’ analyses of data from the National Center for Health Statistics, also includes national and state-level trends in teen childbearing. City-level data are from 2006, the most recent year for which such data are available.
As everyone is aware, teenage pregnancy is a major cause for young women dropping out of school. Check the Child Trends Website to see where your city stacks up.