Even though teenage pregnancy has declined in the last two decades, in these 10 cities with the highest teenage pregnancy rates in America, it is still an issue.
Teenage pregnancy refers to girls under the age of 20 who get pregnant. Most of these girls are not married, as most of the pregnancies are not intended. The United States still have higher teen pregnancy rates than most countries even though recently the rates are decreasing due to birth control. Teenage pregnancies, birth, and abortion have been declining in all racial and ethnic groups in every U.S. state, but disparities remain. If you are wondering which state has the highest teenage pregnancy rate, according to a research conducted in 2010, Mexico was the top state with highest teenage pregnancy rate where 93 out of 1,000 teenage girls became pregnant. On the other hand, New Hampshire had the lowest rates with only 33 girls out of 1,000 getting pregnant. You can find out what the other states with highest teenage pregnancy rates were by taking a look at 10 States with the Highest Teenage Pregnancy Rates in America. As for the highest teenage pregnancy rate by country, check out 15 Countries with the Highest Teenage Pregnancy Rates in the World in 2018.
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According to Center For Disease Control and Prevention, in 2015 the birth rate of Hispanic teens was still much higher than for non-Hispanic teens while the birth rate of black teens was almost twice as high as the rate among white teens. There are many geographic differences in teen birth rates though. According to the same report, there are counties with high teen pregnancy rates in some states where the rates are overall low.
When it comes to teenage pregnancy statistics by state, there are plenty of sources. However, coming up with a list of cities with highest teenage pregnancy rate by city was rather difficult. This is partly due to the fact that rural areas of America have much higher teen pregnancy rates than urban areas, so there is not enough data to suggest which cities are in fact, the top 10 when it comes to this matter. We recently published a list of 15 cities with the highest teenage pregnancy rates in the world in 2018, but when it comes to America, we struggled to find the sources. Our title refers to cities, but due to lack of precise information, we based our list on the Guttmacher Institute report, which contains data on teenage birth rate by state, so we ranked the states instead. We then searched for any data on teen pregnancies within these states’ cities. We included the links for any information we found on teenage pregnancies in these cities. So, without further ado, these are the 15 cities with the highest teenage pregnancy rates in America.
10. Honolulu, Hawaii
Hawaii has long been among the top states with highest teenage pregnancy rates in America. According to a study, almost 54% of pregnancies resulting in live births were unintended.
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9. Columbia, South Carolina
There have been attempts to decrease the rate of teenage pregnancies in South Carolina as well. Richland County, where the state’s capital, Columbia, is located, is among the very top of areas with highest teen pregnancy rates.
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8. Dover, Delaware
Despite the recent decrease in teenage pregnancy rates, they are still higher in Delaware than in surrounding states. According to Dover Post, Delaware’s Division of Public Health has created the Adolescent Sexual Health State Plan with the aim of educating teens on reproductive life planning.
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7. Carson City, Nevada
The number of teen births in Carson City, Nevada is still very high, compared to other states. However, Carson City Health and Human Services recognize the problem and are attempting to reduce the rate of teen pregnancies.
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6. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Although the number of teen moms has decreased, Oklahoma still faces serious teen pregnancy issues, and many think this is due to the lack of sexual education in classrooms. Oklahoma City County area is struggling to reduce the number of teen births.
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And now, let’s see the top five cities with the highest teenage pregnancy rates in America, shall we?
5. Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Just like with almost all the states, teen pregnancy rates are dropping in Louisiana as well. However, Baton Rouge, Louisiana remains among the top cities with highest teenage pregnancy rates.
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4. Little Rock, Arkansas
Teen pregnancy rates are dropping throughout the nation, but not so fast in Arkansas. It consistently ranks among the top states with the highest teen pregnancy rates.
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3. Dallas, Texas
Even though teenage pregnancies are on the decline in recent years nationwide, in Texas, especially Dallas, teen pregnancy is still a common thing. This report states that about 35,000 teens and young women get pregnant before they turn 20. Apparently, this is the city with highest teenage pregnancy rate in Texas.
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2. Jackson, Mississippi
In 2010, 76 out of 1000 teenage girls ended up being pregnant, and Mississippi still has a pretty high number of teen pregnancies. Therefore, Jackson, Mississippi is ranked second on our list.
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1. Santa Fe, New Mexico
Teen pregnancies remain a pressing issue for New Mexico, despite the fact that teen pregnancies overall are on the decline. Therefore, Santa Fe, New Mexico, ranked first on our list of cities with the highest teenage pregnancy rates in America.
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