Kids Count Report – West Virginia

Posted on February 8, 2013 by townsend

• W.Va. has 10th-highest teen birth rate in US, By Shay Maunz, February 5, 2013, Charleston Daily Mail: “West Virginia’s teen birth rate has improved over the last year, but the gap between the percentage of teen mothers in the state versus the country is bigger now than ever. For years, the number of teen births in West Virginia was trending slowly but steadily down, right along with national figures. But in 2006, the teen birth rate in West Virginia began to worsen while the national rate continued to improve. The disparity between the two became worse than ever. New data from Kids Count, a child advocacy group, shows that in 2011, West Virginia’s teen birth rate was 46.3 per 1,000 teens. That’s far worse than the national average of 37.5 for every 1,000 teens…”
• W.Va.’s teen birth rate down, Kids Count data says, By Lori Kersey, February 5, 2013, Charleston Gazette: “Fewer West Virginia teenagers had babies in 2010 than in 2009, but the state still ranks among the 10 highest in the country for children born to teenage mothers, according to a study released to Tuesday from Kids Count West Virginia. The teen birth rate for West Virginia and the nation had been on the decrease for decades until 2006 and 2007, when both rates increased. In 2008, the national rate declined again, while West Virginia’s rate continued to increase. But the latest data shows that in 2010, West Virginia’s teen birth rate fell to 45 births per 1,000 teenage girls. That’s down from 50 births per 1,000 teenagers in 2009. Officials are hopeful, but they aren’t sure what to make of the decline…”