Teen Birth Rates Increase Significantly in Many Massachusetts Communities

On February 13, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health released Massachusetts Births 2006. The statewide teen birth rate continued its slow decline, reaching 21.3 births per 1,000 teen girls ages 15–19 in 2006, down 2% from the following year, when the rate was 21.7 per 1,000.

While this is good news, there are still substantial ethnic and racial disparities; the Latino teen birth rate in 2006 (72.7 per 1,000) was nearly 6 times that of White teens (12.4 per 1,000). Many communities, such as Lawrence, Springfield, New Bedford, Fitchburg, Haverhill, Framingham, Leominster, Plymouth, and Cambridge witnessed double-digit increases in the teen birth rate between 2005 and 2006. Leominster had the highest increase, at 73%. Several communities with perennially high teen birth rates saw significant decreases in 2006. Pittsfield’s rate dropped 6%, Revere’s dropped 19% and Chicopee’s dropped 19%.

See our fact sheet on selected communities in Massachusetts. Read our press release. Read the full Department of Public Health report.

Note: Community-specific data are based on 2005 population estimates and will be updated as soon as more recent estimates are available.