Youth Indicators 1996 / Indicator 7, Chart 1

Indicator 7. Births to Unmarried Women, by Age and Race

Number of births per 1,000 unmarried women, by age and race: 1950 to 1992

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Historical Statistics of the United States to 1975. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Center for Health Statistics, Monthly Vital Statistics Report, various years; and Trends in Illegitimacy, United States 1940-68.

Between 1960 and 1980, birth rates for unmarried black women 20 to 24 years old dropped significantly. During that time, rates for unmarried white women at that age range rose slowly. Trends changed after 1980, when birth rates to unmarried white women of all ages began to rise more rapidly. For unmarried black women of all ages, birth rates rose after 1985, but declined slightly or remained stable in 1991 and 1992.