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Index: Health / Subcategory: Physical Health

Teen Fertility Rates

Date updated: 12/20/2011

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Fertility rates are the number of births for a specified age group of females within a certain population or area per 1,000 total females in the age group (Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment).

According to a 2005 report [pdf] published by The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, mothers between the ages of 15 and 17 are more likely to drop out of school, remain unmarried, and to live in poverty and rely on public assistance than are older mothers. Research also shows that children born to teen mothers are more likely to score lower on a wide variety of aptitude tests.

What this chart shows: Teen (Age 15-17) Fertility Rates in Colorado & Larimer County, 2002-04 to 2008-10 (3-Year Averages)

Data Source: Colorado Public Health and Environment Vital Statistics

See data table

What the above data tell us:

 The Larimer County average teen fertility rate for females aged 15 to 17 from 2002-04 to 2008-10 remained lower than that of Colorado (13.7 and 22.7, respectively). Rates for Colorado and Larimer County were better than the Healthy People 2010 objective for reduced pregnancies in this age group (43 per 1,000 females aged 15-17). In Larimer County, the number of births to teens between the ages of 15 and 17 is relatively small, ranging from a low of 55 in 2003, to a high of 92 in 2005. For this reason, a 3-year rolling average was used to calculate the teen fertility rates plotted above.

The National Center for Health Statistics, citing data from the National Survey of Family Growth [pdf], attributed national decreases in teen birth and fertility rates to delayed onset of sexual activity, increased contraceptive use, and decreased percentages of sexually experienced teens, both male and female.

What this chart shows: Teen (Age 15-19) Fertility Rates in Colorado & Larimer County, 2002-04 to 2008-10 (3-Year Averages)

Data Source: Colorado Public Health and Environment Vital Statistics

See data table

What the above data tell us:

 The Larimer County average teen fertility rate for females aged 15 to 19 from 2002-04 to 2008-10 remained lower than that of Colorado (19.5 and 39.4, respectively).

What this chart shows: Teen (Age 15-17) Fertility Rates by Race/Ethnicity in Colorado & Larimer County, 2002-06 to 2006-10 (5-Year Averages)

Data Source: Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment

See data table

What the above data tell us:

 From 2002 through 2010, teen fertility rates for Whites have been lower in Larimer County than in Colorado. The rates for Hispanic teens are significantly higher for both Larimer County and Colorado, due primarily to cultural differences. The number of babies born to teen Hispanic mothers (ages 15 to 17) in Larimer County is relatively small, ranging from a high of 52 in 2005 to a low of 26 in 2003. For this reason, a rolling 5-year average was used to calculate the teen fertility rates plotted above.

Additional Information:

Related Information on COMPASS -

Other Resources -

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Industry Standards or Targets:

Healthy People 2010 Objectives

In 2003, the United States Certificate of Live Births was revised. National data was provided in revised and unrevised form. The unrevised data was utilized for this report because Colorado did not implement these changes until 2007.

Data Tables:

Teen Fertility Rates (Age 15-17)

Colorado

Larimer County

Rate

# of Births

Rate

# of Births

2002

26.3

2,439

16.6

89

2003

24.8

2,304

10.2

55

2004

25.4

2,357

15.5

82

2005

24.1

2,281

17.1

92

2006

24.2

2,312

16.4

88

2007

22.7

2,200

13.0

71

2008

22.2

2,142

13.4

71

2009

20.6

1,971

13.8

72

2010

17.4

1,688

12.3

66

See chart

Teen Fertility Rates (Age 15-19)

Colorado

Larimer County

Rate

# of Births

Rate

# of Births

2002

47.0

7,238

22.8

262

2003

43.3

6,691

20.7

240

2004

43.7

6,773

23.2

267

2005

42.3

6,642

22.4

260

2006

42.5

6,717

21.8

252

2007

41.7

6,657

21.0

244

2008

40.8

6,569

20.2

235

2009

38.5

6,201

21.9

253

2010

33.1

5,422

17.9

205

See chart

Teen (Ages 15-17) Fertility Rates by Race/Ethnicity - Colorado

Colorado

Larimer County

White

Hispanic

White

Hispanic

Rate

# of Births

Rate

# of Births

Rate

# of Births

Rate

# of Births

2002

11.6

758

75.0

1,464

12.1

56

56.6

32

2003

10.7

694

70.1

1,407

6.0

28

44.8

26

2004

10.3

661

72.8

1,485

9.0

41

70.8

40

2005

10.2

665

66.9

1,440

8.5

39

85.1

52

2006

10.6

687

65.0

1,444

9.7

44

66.8

42

2007

9.0

587

60.7

1,416

7.5

34

50.8

34

2008

9.1

582

57.3

1,365

7.5

33

54.8

37

2009

8.3

520

52.3

1,265

8.6

37

50.0

34

2010

7.4

452

40.5

1,085

7.2

31

39.8

33

31

See chart