The number of teenagers in the U.S. giving birth is at a low not seen since the early 1900s, according to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC reported that the Hispanic teen birth rate fell by half over about eight years, and the black teen birth rate dropped nearly that much. The birth rate for black and Hispanic teens remains two times higher than that for whites.
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In 1991, the birth rate among females age 15 to 19 was 61.8 per 1,000. As of 2014, that number has declined to 24.2 per 1,000, the lowest it has been for decades, CDC data shows.
"The United States has made remarkable progress in reducing both teen pregnancy and racial and ethnic differences, but the reality is, too many American teens are still having babies," CDC Director Tom Frieden said in a press statement. "By better understanding the many factors that contribute to teen pregnancy, we can better design, implement, evaluate and improve prevention interventions and further reduce disparities."
Teen births have been declining across the country, through the drop has been greater in some states than others. The teen birth rate fell nearly 50 percent in Arizona, Colorado and Connecticut, but only about 13 percent in North Dakota and 15 percent in West Virginia.
Arkansas, Mississippi and New Mexico have the highest teen birth rates; each state sees more than 40 births to teen moms per every 1,000 girls ages 15 to 19.
Massachusetts and New Hampshire have the lowest, at 11 per 1,000.
About 4 million babies were born in the United States in 2014. Of those, about 250,000 were born to mothers ages 15 to 19.