Teen Pregnancy Rates By State

Last updated September 18, 2024

Teen Pregnancies
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Teen Pregnancies (per 1k Women)
1.MississippiMississippi27.9
2.ArkansasArkansas27.8
3.LouisianaLouisiana25.7
4.OklahomaOklahoma25.0
5.AlabamaAlabama24.8
6.KentuckyKentucky23.8
7.TennesseeTennessee23.3
8.West VirginiaWest Virginia22.5
9.TexasTexas22.4
10.New MexicoNew Mexico21.9
11.South CarolinaSouth Carolina19.3
12.MissouriMissouri18.8
13.IndianaIndiana18.7
14.South DakotaSouth Dakota18.7
15.GeorgiaGeorgia18.2
16.WyomingWyoming18.1
17.KansasKansas18.1
18.AlaskaAlaska17.7
19.OhioOhio17.6
20.North CarolinaNorth Carolina17.3
21.NevadaNevada16.8
22.ArizonaArizona16.6
23.FloridaFlorida15.2
24.NebraskaNebraska15.1
25.DelawareDelaware14.6
26.IdahoIdaho14.6
27.North DakotaNorth Dakota13.7
28.IllinoisIllinois13.6
29.MichiganMichigan13.5
30.IowaIowa13.3
31.MontanaMontana13.2
32.VirginiaVirginia13.1
33.MarylandMaryland13.1
34.HawaiiHawaii13.0
35.PennsylvaniaPennsylvania12.6
36.ColoradoColorado12.5
37.WisconsinWisconsin11.5
38.WashingtonWashington11.3
39.CaliforniaCalifornia11.0
40.UtahUtah10.8
41.MaineMaine10.6
42.OregonOregon10.1
43.New YorkNew York10.0
44.Rhode IslandRhode Island9.4
45.New JerseyNew Jersey9.2
46.MinnesotaMinnesota9.1
47.ConnecticutConnecticut7.6
48.VermontVermont7.0
49.New HampshireNew Hampshire6.6
50.MassachusettsMassachusetts6.1

Understanding Teen Pregnancy Rates in America

Teen pregnancy is a public health concern with a ubiquitous presence in the United States. Even though there has been a significant overall decrease in teen pregnancy rates in the past two decades, it continues to influence the socio-economic and health outlook of numerous affected teens and families. The data under review highlights teen pregnancy rates per 1,000 women within the ages of 15 and 19 across 50 states. Key findings from the data include:

  • Southern states, primarily Mississippi, Arkansas and Louisiana, lead the country with the highest teen pregnancy rates - 27.9, 27.8, and 25.7 respectively, per 1,000 women.
  • States known for being more liberal, such as Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont, tailed the list recording the lowest teen pregnancy rates – 6.1, 6.6, and 7.0 respectively.
  • There is a noticeable disparity in teen pregnancy rate between the highest (Mississippi - 27.9) and the lowest (Massachusetts - 6.1) ranking states. A massive 78% drop. This discrepancy indicates an inconsistency in the effectiveness of preventative measures like sex education and access to contraceptives, or socio-economic factors across different states.
  • Interestingly, the data consistently underscores that teen pregnancy is more prevalent in the South and Midwest, and less common in the Northeast and West. A likely testament to the varying degrees of influence that education, religious beliefs, cultural norms and accessibility to healthcare services have across the country.

States with Highest Teen Pregnancy Rates

The U.S states with the highest instances of teen pregnancy, highlighted here using the metric of teen pregnancies per 1,000 women, are Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia, Texas, and New Mexico. Topping the list is Mississippi, recording the highest teen pregnancy rate of 27.9 per 1,000 women. Immediately following is Arkansas, with a marginally lower but still high rate of 27.8 per 1,000 women. Furthermore, Louisiana captures the third position with a teen pregnancy rate of 25.7 per 1,000 women. Oklahoma ranks fourth with a figure of 25.0 per 1,000 women, and Alabama rests not far behind with a rate of 24.8 per 1,000 women. Kentucky and Tennessee sit at sixth and seventh position, with rates of 23.8 and 23.3 per 1,000 women respectively. The final three states in the top ten, West Virginia, Texas, and New Mexico, secure their spots with rates of 22.5, 22.4, and 21.9 per 1,000 women respectively.

10 States with Highest Teen Pregnancy Rates (per 1k Women):

  1. Mississippi - 27.9
  2. Arkansas - 27.8
  3. Louisiana - 25.7
  4. Oklahoma - 25.0
  5. Alabama - 24.8
  6. Kentucky - 23.8
  7. Tennessee - 23.3
  8. West Virginia - 22.5
  9. Texas - 22.4
  10. New Mexico - 21.9

By Region

Alabama

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Ranked in U.S.

#5

Alaska

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Ranked in U.S.

#18

Arizona

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Ranked in U.S.

#22

Arkansas

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Ranked in U.S.

#2

California

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Ranked in U.S.

#39

Colorado

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Ranked in U.S.

#36

Connecticut

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Ranked in U.S.

#47

Delaware

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Ranked in U.S.

#25

Florida

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Ranked in U.S.

#23

Georgia

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Ranked in U.S.

#15

Hawaii

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Ranked in U.S.

#34

Idaho

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Ranked in U.S.

#26

Illinois

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Ranked in U.S.

#28

Indiana

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Ranked in U.S.

#13

Iowa

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Ranked in U.S.

#30

Kansas

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Ranked in U.S.

#17

Kentucky

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Ranked in U.S.

#6

Louisiana

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Ranked in U.S.

#3

Maine

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Ranked in U.S.

#41

Maryland

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Ranked in U.S.

#33

Massachusetts

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Ranked in U.S.

#50

Michigan

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Ranked in U.S.

#29

Minnesota

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Ranked in U.S.

#46

Mississippi

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Ranked in U.S.

#1

Missouri

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Ranked in U.S.

#12

Montana

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Ranked in U.S.

#31

Nebraska

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Ranked in U.S.

#24

Nevada

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Ranked in U.S.

#21

New Hampshire

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Ranked in U.S.

#49

New Jersey

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Ranked in U.S.

#45

New Mexico

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Ranked in U.S.

#10

New York

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Ranked in U.S.

#43

North Carolina

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Ranked in U.S.

#20

North Dakota

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Ranked in U.S.

#27

Ohio

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Ranked in U.S.

#19

Oklahoma

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Ranked in U.S.

#4

Oregon

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Ranked in U.S.

#42

Pennsylvania

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Ranked in U.S.

#35

Rhode Island

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Ranked in U.S.

#44

South Carolina

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Ranked in U.S.

#11

South Dakota

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Ranked in U.S.

#14

Tennessee

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Ranked in U.S.

#7

Texas

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Ranked in U.S.

#9

Utah

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Ranked in U.S.

#40

Vermont

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Ranked in U.S.

#48

Virginia

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Ranked in U.S.

#32

Washington

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Ranked in U.S.

#38

West Virginia

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Ranked in U.S.

#8

Wisconsin

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Ranked in U.S.

#37

Wyoming

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Ranked in U.S.

#16

Table

Region ↕Teen Pregnancies↕
Alabama iconAlabama24.8
Alaska iconAlaska17.7
Arizona iconArizona16.6
Arkansas iconArkansas27.8
California iconCalifornia11.0
Colorado iconColorado12.5
Connecticut iconConnecticut7.6
Delaware iconDelaware14.6
Florida iconFlorida15.2
Georgia iconGeorgia18.2
Hawaii iconHawaii13.0
Idaho iconIdaho14.6
Illinois iconIllinois13.6
Indiana iconIndiana18.7
Iowa iconIowa13.3
Kansas iconKansas18.1
Kentucky iconKentucky23.8
Louisiana iconLouisiana25.7
Maine iconMaine10.6
Maryland iconMaryland13.1
Massachusetts iconMassachusetts6.1
Michigan iconMichigan13.5
Minnesota iconMinnesota9.1
Mississippi iconMississippi27.9
Missouri iconMissouri18.8
Montana iconMontana13.2
Nebraska iconNebraska15.1
Nevada iconNevada16.8
New Hampshire iconNew Hampshire6.6
New Jersey iconNew Jersey9.2
New Mexico iconNew Mexico21.9
New York iconNew York10.0
North Carolina iconNorth Carolina17.3
North Dakota iconNorth Dakota13.7
Ohio iconOhio17.6
Oklahoma iconOklahoma25.0
Oregon iconOregon10.1
Pennsylvania iconPennsylvania12.6
Rhode Island iconRhode Island9.4
South Carolina iconSouth Carolina19.3
South Dakota iconSouth Dakota18.7
Tennessee iconTennessee23.3
Texas iconTexas22.4
Utah iconUtah10.8
Vermont iconVermont7.0
Virginia iconVirginia13.1
Washington iconWashington11.3
West Virginia iconWest Virginia22.5
Wisconsin iconWisconsin11.5
Wyoming iconWyoming18.1
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