Teen Pregnancies Decline Across America But Young Parents Still Face Financial Hardships

Any pregnancy is life-changing, but when you’re a teenager, the effects can be devastating. While the cost of having children is something that many couples need to consider before trying to become pregnant, these expenses are often not something a teenager has ever thought to consider, let alone budgeted for.

But it’s not just the immediate cost of diapers, formula, and child care that teen moms need to consider. Studies have also shown that simply being pregnant as a teenager can have a long-lasting financial impact on your future.

Incomplete education, a lack of workplace opportunities, and housing expenses all contribute to a negative financial outlook for teenage parents. These economic challenges extend beyond the initial years of parenthood, tending to plague teenage parents long after their youthful years and contributing to a negative impact on the American economy as a whole.

But just which states and counties have the highest rates of teen pregnancy and thus experience the greatest financial strain? To find out, we conducted a study that looked at the last five years of birth data across the United States. 

When looking at the state averages, all had remarkably seen a decrease in teenage pregnancies over this time. Results may be attributed to improved educational opportunities and medical care across the country, with a number of active campaigns to provide free or affordable birth control options to high school students.

It could also be indicative of changing social norms or improved sex education across the nation.

New Mexico had seen the biggest decrease in teen pregnancies, with a decline of 11 births per 1,000 people over five years. The Land of Enchantment was followed by Texas and West Virginia which both saw a decrease of 10 births per 1,000 people — perhaps an indicator of effective interventions in these states to address the issue.

More specifically, when looking at the data on a county level, a number of counties in Texas saw major declines in teen pregnancy rates. These include Brooks County, which saw a massive decline of 36 births per 1,000 people, Hemphill County, with 31 births per 1,000 people, and Dickens and Zapata counties, each with a decline of 29 births per 1,000.

Similarly, a number of counties in South Dakota also experienced huge declines, such as Bennett, Todd, Buffalo, and Oglala Lakota counties, which all saw between 26 and 35 fewer births per 1,000 people over the same time period.

At the other end of the scale, Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Jersey reported seeing the least improvement in teen pregnancy rates, with a decline of just 3 births per 1,000 in these states. While showing a slight improvement in teen pregnancy rates, more effort can be made in these places where rural locations, less education opportunities and other socioeconomic factors may all have an influence.

In general, what we are seeing is that states with a higher teen pregnancy rate are typically those with lower incomes and less effective healthcare systems, such as those found in the South or Midwest of the country. Addressing broader issues like education and poverty first can help to lower these birth rates.

Some counties have seen an increase in teen pregnancies over the last five years, although not enough to affect their state averages. This included a number of counties in Kansas, including Hamilton and Morton counties, with 10 and 5 increases in births per 1,000 people, respectively.

Iowa similarly had a number of counties with increasing incidences of teen pregnancies, including Van Buren County, which saw an increase of 8 births per 1,000, Adair County with 5 births per 1,000 and Adams County with 2 births per 1,000.

Interestingly, it’s not just the teenagers themselves and their families who are affected by these pregnancies. The economies of the county and state also experienced the effects. When you add up the additional medical costs and foster care expenses, American taxpayers are actually paying around $11 billion a year in teen pregnancy costs.

This includes increased jail costs, with the kids of teen parents more likely to be incarcerated, as well as the lost revenue from taxpayers due to fewer employment opportunities for teen mothers.

It is estimated that mothers who had their children in their teenage years earn around 30% less than similarly-aged women who did not have children early. This may be because among those teens who became pregnant in high school, only about 50% went on to complete their high school diploma, with only 30% earning a General Education Development certificate (GED).

This is significant when you consider that of those women who didn’t become pregnant in high school, 90% went on to complete their diplomas.

Furthermore, only 2% of teen moms go on to get a college diploma. What this lower income and reduced education means is that teenage mothers frequently end up relying on public assistance. In fact, 79% of all American teen mothers collect some sort of food stamps, housing subsidiary or federal funding.

But it’s not only teenage mothers who see the adverse effects of pregnancy later in life. In fact, teen fathers also have a lower chance (25-30%) of graduating from high school when compared to those who didn’t become fathers in their teens.

“In an ideal world, every mother and father will be financially prepared for their upcoming parental journey. It’s great news that unwanted teen pregnancies have declined so much — but for anyone who is unexpectedly expecting, I urge action,” said Erica Sandberg, BadCredit.org Finance Expert. “In many cases you can continue your education, work, and create a budget that incorporates the needs of you and your baby. The best thing you can do is approach the situation realistically and with as little stress as possible. Find helpful resources and programs in your area. They exist in every community in the United States, so reach out. Rise to the challenge. 

Data were taken from County Health Rankings and calculated between 2020 and 2024 to get the average change in the number of births per 1,000 females between ages 15-19.