Census Bureau Releases Updated Tables on Fertility

The U.S. Census Bureau released new tables and figures today using the 2014 Current Population Survey’s Fertility Supplement, which includes fertility and relationship data for women age 15 to 50. The tables include information on children ever born, rates of childlessness, and relationship status at first birth for women with selected demographic characteristics. In addition, the tables and figures show historical trends in fertility.

Highlights include:

·         Just under 60 percent of the roughly 75 million women age 15 to 50 in 2014 were mothers and had given birth to about 95 million children.

U.S. Women’s Use of Sexual and Reproductive Health Services; Recent Trends in Births and Fertility Rates

From Guttmacher Institute:

Seven in 10 U.S. women of reproductive age, some 43–45 million women, make at least one medical visit to obtain se
xual and reproductive health (SRH) services each year. Uninsured women are significantly less likely than either privately or Medicaid-insured women to receive SRH services. Approximately 25 million women receive contraceptive services annually.

The number of women having either a Pap test or pelvic exam each year fell from 41 million in 2002 to 39 million in 20
06–2010, consistent with recent changes in cervical cancer screening recommendations.

The number of women receiving STD testing, treatment or counseling each year doubled from 4.6 million in 1995 to 9.8 million in 2006–2010, reflecting both an increase in routine chlamydia screening now recommended for all sexually active women younger than age 25, as well as an increase in the reported incidence of chlamydia.

The number of women receiving any SRH service who went to a publicly funded clinic for that care rose from 7.3 million (17% of those receiving care) in 1995 to 10.2 million (23%) in 2006–2010, mirroring concurrent increases in the number of women in poverty and in need of publicly funded contraceptive services. Compared with women receiving services from private doctors, women going to publicly funded clinics received a wider range of SRH services and were more likely to have conversations about contraception during annual gynecologic visits.

From National Center for Health Statistics:

The provisional count of births in the United States for the 12-month period ending December 2012 was 3,958,000, essentially unchanged from the 3,953,593 births (preliminary total) for 2011. The trend in the number of births was down, having declined steadily from the historic high of 4,316,233 in 2007 through 2011 but slowing from 2010 to 2011, and is essentially flat from 2011 to 2012. The provisional fertility rate in the United States for 2012 was 63.2 births per 1,000 women aged 15–44, unchanged from the rate in 2011. Like the number of births, the trend in the fertility rate
was down, having declined steadily from the recent high of 69.3 in 2007 through 2010 but slowing from 2010 to 2011, and is unchanged from 2011 to 2012.

Fertility of Men and Women Aged 15–44 Years in the US

This report estimates of different fertility measures for both men and women in the United States for the period 2006–2010. Fertility refers to the number of live births that occur to an individual. In 2008, there were 4.2 million births in the United States. The average fertility of women in the United States was about seven children at the beginning of the 19th century, it declined slowly and by 1960 it was 3.7 children per woman (2,3). Fertility in the United States dropped to its lowest point in 1976 at an average of 1.7 children per woman and has remained relatively stable at around 2.1 children per woman.
While fertility in the United States has remained stable since the 1970s, there is variation by subgroups including age, race, ethnicity, education, and measures of socioeconomic status. Researchers have often examined the intermediate characteristics that help to explain fertility such as fecundity (the ability to have children), timing of sexual intercourse, time spent in sexual relationships, and use of contraception. Others have looked at timing of fertility, the composition of those who have children, the number of children born, the union status at childbirth, etc.

More here (PDF).

Fertility Rates, Costly Medical Conditions, and Obesity

National Center for Health Statistics - Recent Trends in Births and Fertility Rates Through June 2011 [PDF]
The provisional count of births in the United States for the 12-month period ending June 2011 was 3,978,000, which was 2 percent lower than the provisional count of 4,057,000 for the 12-month period ending June 2010. This continues the decline in the number of births from the all-time high of 4,316,233 in 2007; the rate of decline appears to have slowed from January 2011 to June 2011.
The provisional fertility rate in the United States for the 12-month period ending June 2011 declined as well, down 2 percent to 64.4 births per 1,000 women aged 15–44 from 65.5 for the 12-month period ending June 2010. This continues the decline in the fertility rate from the 17-year high of 69.5 in 2007, but again, the rate of decline appears to have slowed in the first 6 months of 2011.

Medical Expenditure Panel Survey - The Concentration of Health Care Expenditures and Related Expenses for Costly Medical Conditions, 2009 [PDF]
In 2009, health care expenses among the U.S. community population totaled $1.26 trillion. Medical care expenses, however, are highly concentrated among a relatively small proportion of individuals in the community population. As reported previously in 1996, the top 1 percent of the U.S. population accounted for 28 percent of the total health care expenditures and the top 5 percent for more than half. More recent data have revealed that over time there has been some decrease in the extent of this concentration at the upper tail of the expenditure distribution. Furthermore, medical expenditures have been concentrated for the treatment of certain types of highly prevalent conditions or for which treatment often entails the use of high-cost services

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development - Obesity Update 2012 [PDF]
The obesity epidemic slowed down in several OECD countries during the past three years. Rates grew less than previously projected, or did not grow at all, according to new data from ten OECD countries. Child obesity rates also stabilised in England, France, Korea and United States. However, rates remain high and social disparities in obesity are unabated. Many governments have stepped up efforts to tackle the root causes of obesity, embracing increasingly comprehensive strategies and involving
communities and key stakeholders. There has been a new interest in the use of taxes on foods rich in fat and sugar, with several governments (e.g. Denmark, Finland, France, Hungary) passing new legislation in 2011.

Fertility; Women's Health

Data on fertility of American women for the noninstitutionalized population are collected biannually in the June Current Population Survey (CPS) for the Nation. Detailed information from recent surveys and historical trends in selected tables are listed below. Data on children ever born and mothers’ age at last birth are collected for women 15 to 44 years old arom 1971 to present and are available at the national level. These data are the best source for historical trends in fertility. (Note: Reports from 1997 to present are currently on-line).


Women’s Health Care Chartbook – Key Findings from the Kaiser Women’s Health Survey.

Fertility of American Women: 2008

Census Bureau Reports Nearly 1 in 3 Unmarried Women Who Give Birth Cohabit

The U.S. Census Bureau reported that among the 1.5 million unmarried women who gave birth during the period between June 2007 and June 2008, about 425,000, or 28 percent, were living with a cohabitating partner. These unmarried mothers included those who were separated and those married with an absent spouse.

These findings are contained in Fertility of American Women: 2008, which reports that 4 million women age 15 to 44 gave birth during that time.

"The report shows that many unmarried new moms are not raising their child alone."

Fertility rates dropping among older women

A Census story in the Times Union (Albany).