The United States has the highest teen pregnancy and teen birth rates in the industrialized world.

Saul Hoffman. 2006. “By the Numbers: The Public Cost of Teen Childbearing.”

National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy Report.

In 2001, there were an estimated 811,000 pregnancies among American girls aged 15-19; roughly 80 percent of these pregnancies were unintended.

Lawrence Finer and Stanley Henshaw. 2006. “Disparities of Rates in Unintended Pregnancy in the United States, 1994 and 2001.” Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health.

One study estimates that over time, the total cost to taxpayers (federal, state, and local) of teen births in 2004 will be $9.1 billion ($9.7 billion in 2006 dollars) or an average annual cost of $1,430 per child ($1,526 in 2006 dollars); these costs include increased health care, lower taxes due to wages, increased foster care, etc.  

Saul Hoffman. 2006. “By the Numbers: The Public Cost of Teen Childbearing.” National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy Report.

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