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New York Adolescent Reproductive Health Facts

New York ranked 44 out of 51 (50 states plus the District of Columbia)a on final 2016 teen birth rates among females ages 15-19 (with 1 representing the highest rate, and 51 representing the lowest rate).RH1

Number of births to females under age 20, 2016RH1,RH2,RH3

Total1 New York United States
Females under age 20 8,089 212,062
Mother's age New York United States
Under 15 86 2,253
15-17 2,042 54,741
18-19 5,961 155,068
15-19 8,003 209,809
Mother's race/ethnicityb New York United States
Non-Hispanic white2 2,527 81,774
Non-Hispanic black2 1,843 46,686
American Indian or Alaska Native2,3 44 4,446
Asian or Pacific Islander2,3 361 4,653
Hispanic4 3,461 75,708

Teen birth rate (births per 1,000 females ages 15-19), 2016RH1

Total New York United States
Females ages 15-19 13.2 20.3
Mother's age New York United States
15-17 5.8 8.8
18-19 23.5 37.5

Percent changea in the teen birth rate, 1991◇-2016 and 2015-2016RH1,RH4

  New York United States
Change in rate to females ages 15-19 (1991◇ to 2016) -71% -67%
Change in rate to females ages 15-19 (2015 to 2016) -10% -9%

◇ The U.S. teen birth rate in 1991 was 61.8 births per 1,000 teen females ages 15-19.RH4

Of all births to females under age 20, percenta by race/ethnicity, 2016RH1,RH2,RH3

Mother’s race /ethnicityb New York United States
Non-Hispanic white2 31% 39%
Non-Hispanic black2 23% 22%
American Indian or Alaska Native2,3 1% 2%
Asian or Pacific Islander2,3 4% 2%
Hispanic4 43% 36%

Of all births to females under age 20, percenta repeat births, 2016RH1,RH3

Total1 New York United States
Females under age 20 13% 16%
Mother’s race/ethnicityb New York United States
Non-Hispanic white2 12% 14%
Non-Hispanic black2 14% 17%
American Indian or Alaska Native2,3 * 18%
Asian or Pacific Islander2,3 12% 16%
Hispanic4 14% 18%

Percenta low birthweight§ births, among females under age 20, 2016RH1,RH3

Total New York United States
Females under age 20 9% 10%

§ Low birthweight is defined as less than 2,500 grams (about 5.5 pounds or 5 pounds and 8 ounces).

Teen pregnancy rate (estimated pregnancies per 1,000 females ages 15-19), 2013RH5

Total New York United States
Females ages 15-19 45 43
Age New York United States
15-17 24 21
18-19 75 76

Percent changea in the teen pregnancy rate, 1988◇-2013RH5

  New York United States
Change in rate to females ages 15-19 -61% -62%

◇ In 1988, the teen pregnancy rate was 116 pregnancies per 1,000 females ages 15-19 in New York, and 112 in the U.S. The U.S. teen pregnancy rate peaked in 1990 at 117.6 pregnancies per 1,000 females ages 15-19, but state data are not available for that year.RH5

Teen abortion rate (abortions per 1,000 females ages 15-19), 2013RH5

Total New York United States
Female ages 15-19 22 11
Age New York United States
15-17 N/A 6
18-19 35 18

Percent changea in the teen abortion rate, 1988◇-2013RH5

  New York United States
Change in rate to females ages 15-19 -65% -75%

◇ The U.S. teen abortion rate peaked in 1988 at 44 abortions per 1,000 females ages 15-19. The teen abortion rate for New York was 62 per 1,000 females ages 15-19 in 1988.RH5

Sexual behaviors among high school students (grades 9-12), 2017RH6

Percent of high school students who report they have ever had sexual intercourse New York United States
Total 31% 40%
Male 29% 41%
Female 32% 38%
Percent of high school students who report they had sexual intercourse for the first time before 13 years of age New York United States
Total 3% 3%
Male 4% 5%
Female 2% 2%
Percent of high school students who report they have had sexual intercourse with 4 or more persons New York United States
Total 6% 10%
Male 7% 12%
Female 6% 8%
Percent of high school students who report they drank alcohol or used drugs before last sexual intercourse (among students who were currently sexually active) New York United States
Total 16% 19%
Male 18% 22%
Female 14% 16%

Birth control use among sexually active high school students (grades 9-12), 2017RH6

Percent of high school students who report they or their partner used a condom during last sexual intercourse New York United States
Total 59% 54%
Male 66% 61%
Female 54% 47%
Percent of high school students who report they or their partner used birth control pills before last sexual intercourse New York United States
Total 25% 21%
Male 17% 19%
Female 30% 22%
Percent of high school students who report they or their partner used an IUD (e.g., Mirena or Paragard) or implant (e.g., Implanon or Nexplanon) before last sexual intercourse (to prevent pregnancy) New York United States
Total 4% 4%
Male 2% 3%
Female 5% 5%
Percent of high school students who report they or their partner used a shot (e.g., Depo-Provera), patch (e.g., OrthoEvra), or birth control ring (e.g., NuvaRing) before last sexual intercourse (to prevent pregnancy) New York United States
Total 2% 5%
Male 3% 2%
Female 2% 7%
Percent of high school students who report they or their partner used birth control pills; an IUD or implant; or a shot, patch, or birth control ring before last sexual intercourse (to prevent pregnancy) New York United States
Total 31% 29%
Male 21% 24%
Female 37% 35%
Percent of high school students who report they or their partner used both a condom during last sexual intercourse and birth control pills; an IUD or implant; or a shot, patch, or birth control ring before last sexual intercourse (to prevent pregnancy) New York United States
Total 12% 9%
Male 8% 9%
Female 15% 9%
Percent of high school students who report they or their partner did not use any method to prevent pregnancy during last sexual intercourse New York United States
Total 16% 14%
Male 16% 10%
Female 15% 17%

Relationship violence among high school students who report dating in the past 12 months (grades 9-12), 2017RH6

Percent of high school students who report they experienced physical dating violence including being hit, slammed into something, or injured with an object or weapon on purpose by someone they dated or went out with New York United States
Total 10% 8%
Male 9% 7%
Female 11% 9%
Percent of high school students who report they experienced sexual dating violence, e.g. being forced to do sexual things (such as kissing, touching, or being physically forced to have sexual intercourse) they did not want to do by someone they dated or went out with New York United States
Total 10% 7%
Male 6% 3%
Female 13% 11%

Forced sex among high school students (grades 9-12), 2017RH6

Percent of high school students who report they were ever physically forced to have sexual intercourse (when they did not want to) New York United States
Total N/A 7%
Male N/A 3%
Female N/A 11%

Data notes

All percentages have been rounded to the nearest whole number.
* Figure does not meet standards of reliability or precision; based on fewer than 20 births in the numerator.
N/A: Data are not available on this item for this state.
National and state data sheets are updated annually. The specific timing of updates depends on the release schedule of the data sources cited for each topic.
1
Includes all births, including those with Hispanic origin not stated and not shown separately.
2
Race and Hispanic origin are reported separately on birth certificates. Persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race. Race categories are consistent with the 1977 Office of Management and Budget (OMB) standards.
3
Includes persons of Hispanic, non-Hispanic and origin not stated according to mother’s reported race.
4
Includes all persons of Hispanic origin, of any race.
a
Calculated for this webpage.
b
Beginning with the 2016 birth data, the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) reports race consistent with the 1997 Office of Management and Budget (OMB) standards, where “single race” is defined as one race reported on the birth certificate. In order to show 2015 estimates for comparison, this webpage shows estimates by race/ethnicity using the “bridged race” categories that are consistent with the previous 1977 OMB standards, provided through NCHS and the CDC WONDER interactive vital statistics tool.

Data sources

RH1
Birth data from 2016 are from: Martin, J. A., Hamilton, B. E., Osterman, M. J., Driscoll, A. K., & Drake, P. (2018). Births: Final data for 2016. National Vital Statistics Reports, 67(1). Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr67/nvsr67_01.pdf
RH2
National birth data by race/ethnicity using bridged race categories provided by: Reproductive Statistics Branch of the Division of Vital Statistics, National Center for Health Statistics, Hyattsville, MD. Received February 14, 2018.
RH3
State-level birth data by race/ethnicity are from: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). About natality, 2007-2016 [Data set]. Retrieved from https://wonder.cdc.gov/natality-current.html
RH4
Birth data from 1991 and 2015 are from: Martin, J. A., Hamilton, B.E., Osterman, M. J. K., Driscoll A. K., & Mathews, T. J. (2017). Births: Final data for 2015. National Vital Statistics Reports, 66(1). Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr66/nvsr66_01.pdf - PDF
RH5
Pregnancy and abortion rate data are from: Kost, K., Maddow-Zimet, I., & Arpaia, A. (2017). Pregnancies, births and abortions among adolescents and young women in the United States, 2013: National and state trends by age, race and ethnicity. Retrieved from https://www.guttmacher.org/sites/default/files/report_pdf/us-adolescent-pregnancy-trends-2013.pdf
RH6
High school data are from: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2018). 1991-2017 Youth Risk Behavior Survey [Data set]. Retrieved from http://nccd.cdc.gov/YouthOnline/App/Default.aspx
Content created by Office of Adolescent Health
Content last reviewed on March 27, 2019