40.3%
2015 (latest)
BIRTHS TO UNMARRIED MOTHERS
percent of all US births · 1940–2015 · neither direction is "better" · CDC/NCHS National Vital Statistics System
3.5%
1940
41.0%
high · 2009
3.5%
low · 1940
+37 pts
since 1940
┊ dashed lines mark 1979 Oil shock & inflation peak · 1987 Black Monday crash · 1991 Gulf War recession · 2001 Dot-com bust & 9/11 · 2008 Global financial crisis
Method & caveats. Births to unmarried women (NCHS, all age groups summed) divided by total US births (NCHS births and general fertility rates). Both numerator and denominator are NCHS-published counts; the ratio is the only arithmetic.
Sources
Every value on this page is read from the publisher below. Current and historical source documents:
- https://data.cdc.gov/d/g6qk-ngsf
- https://github.com/danielmiessler/substrate/tree/main/Data/US-Long-Run-Indicators
Data
| Year | Births to Unmarried Mothers | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 40.3% | +0.1 pts |
| 2014 | 40.2% | −0.4 pts |
| 2013 | 40.6% | −0.1 pts |
| 2012 | 40.7% | +0.0 pts |
| 2011 | 40.7% | −0.1 pts |
| 2010 | 40.8% | −0.2 pts |
| 2009 | 41.0% | +0.4 pts |
| 2008 | 40.6% | +0.9 pts |
| 2007 | 39.7% | +1.2 pts |
| 2006 | 38.5% | +1.6 pts |
| 2005 | 36.9% | +1.1 pts |
| 2004 | 35.8% | +1.2 pts |
| 2003 | 34.6% | +0.6 pts |
| 2002 | 34.0% | +0.5 pts |
| 2001 | 33.5% | +0.3 pts |
| 2000 | 33.2% | +0.2 pts |
| 1999 | 33.0% | +0.2 pts |
| 1998 | 32.8% | +0.4 pts |
| 1997 | 32.4% | +0.0 pts |
| 1996 | 32.4% | +0.2 pts |
| 1995 | 32.2% | −0.4 pts |
| 1994 | 32.6% | +1.6 pts |
| 1993 | 31.0% | +0.9 pts |
| 1992 | 30.1% | +0.6 pts |
| 1991 | 29.5% | +1.5 pts |
| 1990 | 28.0% | +0.9 pts |
| 1989 | 27.1% | +1.4 pts |
| 1988 | 25.7% | +1.2 pts |
| 1987 | 24.5% | +1.1 pts |
| 1986 | 23.4% | +1.4 pts |
| 1985 | 22.0% | +1.0 pts |
| 1984 | 21.0% | +0.7 pts |
| 1983 | 20.3% | +0.9 pts |
| 1982 | 19.4% | +0.5 pts |
| 1981 | 18.9% | +0.5 pts |
| 1980 | 18.4% | +1.3 pts |
| 1979 | 17.1% | +0.8 pts |
| 1978 | 16.3% | +0.8 pts |
| 1977 | 15.5% | +0.7 pts |
| 1976 | 14.8% | +0.6 pts |
| 1975 | 14.2% | +1.0 pts |
| 1974 | 13.2% | +0.2 pts |
| 1973 | 13.0% | +0.6 pts |
| 1972 | 12.4% | +1.1 pts |
| 1971 | 11.3% | +0.6 pts |
| 1970 | 10.7% | +0.7 pts |
| 1969 | 10.0% | +0.3 pts |
| 1968 | 9.7% | +0.7 pts |
| 1967 | 9.0% | +0.6 pts |
| 1966 | 8.4% | +0.6 pts |
| 1965 | 7.8% | +1.0 pts |
| 1964 | 6.8% | +0.5 pts |
| 1963 | 6.3% | +0.4 pts |
| 1962 | 5.9% | +0.3 pts |
| 1961 | 5.6% | +0.3 pts |
| 1960 | 5.3% | +0.1 pts |
| 1959 | 5.2% | +0.3 pts |
| 1958 | 4.9% | +0.2 pts |
| 1957 | 4.7% | +0.1 pts |
| 1956 | 4.6% | +0.1 pts |
| 1955 | 4.5% | +0.2 pts |
| 1954 | 4.3% | +0.2 pts |
| 1953 | 4.1% | +0.3 pts |
| 1952 | 3.8% | +0.0 pts |
| 1951 | 3.8% | −0.1 pts |
| 1950 | 3.9% | +0.4 pts |
| 1940 | 3.5% | — |
Also in Family & Society