Births: Final Data for 2015.

Abstract

A total of 3,952,841 births were registered in the United States in 2012. The general fertility rate declined to 63.0 per 1,000 women aged 15-44. The teen birth rate fell 6%, to 29.4 per 1,000 women. Birth rates declined for women in their twenties and increased for women aged 30-44. The total fertility rate (estimated number of births over a woman's lifetime) declined 1% to 1,880.5 per 1,000 women. The rate of births to unmarried women declined; the percentage of births to unmarried women was essentially stable at 40.7%, but the number of births to unmarried women increased slightly. The cesarean delivery rate was unchanged at 32.8%. The preterm birth rate declined for the sixth straight year to 11.55%; the low birthweight rate declined slightly to 7.99%. The twin birth rate was stable at 33.1 per 1,000 births; the rate of triplet and higher-order multiple births dropped 9% to 124.4 per 100,000 total births.