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Indicator: Teen Birth Rates

Data and Data Discussion provided by Communities Count

Birth Rates Among Females Age 15-17 King County, 1990-2003

Figure 2: Birth Rates Among GIrls 15-17 Years Old by School District

Figure 3: Birth Rates Among Females 15-17 Years Old by Neighborhood Poverty Level

Figure 4: Birth Rates Among Females 15-17 Years Old by Race/Ethnicity, King county, 1990-2003

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Upstream Indicators
  •   Freedom from Discrimination --- Indicator information based on three surveys conducted in 1999, 2001 and 2004. There were no significant changes over the three survey years for the county.  (view data graph)
  •   Income Distribution --- In the two decades between 1979 and 1999, there was a shift of income away from the four lower income groups to the highest income group. In King County in 2004, the richest 20% of the population received more than ten times the income of the poorest 20%.  (view data graph)
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Downstream Indicators
  •   Prevalence of Overweight & Obese Adults --- The proportion of King County adults who are overweight and obese continues to climb. In 2006, almost one in five adults were obese and more than half were overweight. Nearly nine percent of school age children were overweight.  (view data graph)
  •   School Readiness --- School districts in King County are in the process of implementing the Early Development Instrument (EDI) survey in order to provide their communities with evidence of how ready for school their kindergarten-age children are. To date only 3 school districts have carried out the EDI survey, Bellevue and Shoreline School Districts in 2004 and Highline School District in 2005.   (view data graph)
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Sustainability Snapshot:

Infants born to mothers under age 18 have increased risk of death and low birth weight. Both the mother and the child tend to have fewer educational, economic and social opportunities. The younger the mother, the more likely such problems will occur. Although teen birth rates have dropped, they remain higher among African Americans, Native Americans/Alaskan Natives and Hispanics/Latinos and in low income neighborhoods.

Sustainability Trend:

Teen birth rates declined from 2001-2003 in each of the four King County regions and for all income and race/ethnic groups with the exception of Hispanic/Latina teens.

Data Discussion

The Indicator Defined

Births per 1,000 population, Females Ages 15-17 King County, 1990-2003

Data Interpretation/Evaluation

Birth rates to King County girls age 15-17 declined from a high of 23.9 per 1,000 in 1992 to 10.1 per 1,000 in 2003. Teen birth rates for all of Washington State declined over the same period. The 2003 teen birth rate for Washington State is 15.3 per 1,000 (data not shown).

While teen birth rates have declined in each of the four King County regions, the decline has been especially sharp in Seattle. (Figure 1) On average from 2001-2003, the teen birth rates in South Region (14.8 per 1,000) and Seattle (11.6 per 1,000) were higher than in East Region (4.4 per 1,000) and North Region (5.2 per 1,000). (Figure 2) The average teen birth rate was higher in the Tukwila, Highline, and Auburn School Districts than the average for King County as a whole. Vashon, Mercer Island, and Skykomish School Districts are not shown because of the very small number of teen births in those areas. Rates are not stable when based on very small numbers.

Birth rates among teenage girls in the highest poverty neighborhoods of King County (20% or more of residents live in poverty) have steeply declined since the early 1990s. These rates in 2002 and 2003 are equal to the rates in medium poverty neighborhoods (5 – 19% live in poverty). Teen birth rates in high and medium poverty areas are still higher than in low poverty neighborhoods where less than 5% of residents live in poverty. (Figure 3) Teen birth rates in all three areas, regardless of poverty level, have been decreasing since the early 1990s.

Teenage birth rates have been declining since the early to mid 1990s among African Americans, American Indian/Alaska Natives, Asian/Pacific Islanders and whites. The birth rate among Hispanic/Latina teens has been increasing since 1997. (Figure 4) Average teen birth rates from 2001-2003 were higher among Hispanic/Latina (48.8 per 1,000), American Indian/Alaska Natives (37.0 per 1,000) and African Americans (19.6 per 1,000) than among whites (8.9 per 1,000) and Asian/Pacific Islanders (7.8 per 1,000).

Data Source and Limitations

Data on the number of live births in King County was contributed by Communities Count (www.communitiescount.org) and iis collected through birth certificate records by the Washington State Department of Health, Center for Health Statistics. For this indicator, only maternal age is considered. Data on the age of the father is under-reported on birth certificate records.

The geographic boundaries of King County, the four regions, school districts, and the high, medium and low poverty areas are defined by aggregating census tracts or census block groups used in the 2000 census.

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