Teen birth rates have fallen in Ohio and across the country. That’s according to findings from theCenters for Disease Control. For Ohio Public Radio, WCPN's Nick Castelereports racial disparities in those numbers have also lessened.
The CDC compared teen birth rates from 2006 to 2014. In Ohio, the rate fell by a third. The latest numbers for the state show there were 26 births per 1,000 young women ages 15 to 19. That puts Ohio at just a notch above the national rate of 25.4.
And while black and Hispanic teens have higher birth rates than whites, the disparities are narrowing. Birth rates among Hispanic teens in Ohio fell 45 percent. The decline was 37 percent for black teens, and 32 percent for whites.
Data collected by the CDC shows that Marion, Pike and Jackson counties had the highest teen birth rates in Ohio.