Massachusetts Data

50: Teen Birth Rate
4: Decline In Teen Birth Rate
49: Teen Pregnancy Rate

Please note: Rank of 1 = highest; Rank of 50 = lowest

The Story

Teen pregnancy and childbearing are at historic lows and there has been impressive progress on both fronts in all 50 states.

The teen birth rate in Massachusetts declined 84% between 1991 and 2020. Even so, in 2020 there were 1,354 births to teens. Most teen births in Massachusetts (75%) are to older teens (age 18-19). It is also the case that 11% of all teen births were to teens who already had a child. The public savings in 2015 due to declines in the teen birth rate totaled $78 million. Teen birth rates have fallen for all racial and ethnic groups, and in some cases the gap in teen birth rates by race/ethnicity has narrowed, but disparities remain.

The teen pregnancy rate, which includes all pregnancies rather than just those that resulted in a birth, has also fallen steeply, by 75 % between 1988 and 2013 (the most recent data available). As of 2013 there were 5,610 pregnancies among teens age 15 to 19 in Massachusetts.

When looking at women in Massachusetts overall, not just teens, 47% of all pregnancies are described by women themselves as unplanned.

Notes: the data here represents the most recently available from a variety of sources. The most recent year available varies by indicator. For more detail on the incidence of teen and unplanned pregnancy and childbearing, sexual activity and contraception, as well as data sources and methods, please see https://powertodecide.org/data