Honolulu Weekly

Between 2000 and 2005, the teen birthrate in Hawaii decreased from 46 to 36 births per 1,000 15- to 19-year-old females. But in 2006, the year for which the most recent data is available nationwide, a 14 percent jump in Hawaii’s teen birth pushed it back up to 41 percent. National Kids Count Project Coordinator Laura Beavers says she expects the teen birthrate may climb, as data reflects social fallout from the recession. Hawaii’s teen pregnancy rate has been among the 10 highest nationwide for at least a decade.

Rank State Rate (%)

1 New Hampshire 19

2 Massachusetts 21

5 New Jersey 25

11 Pennsylvania 31

13 Iowa 33

19 Virginia 35

23 California 40

27 Hawaii 41

30 Alaska 44

39 Louisiana 54

50 Mississippi 68

Data from of the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s 2009 Kids Count report