Products - Data Briefs - Number 21 - August 2009

NCHS Data Brief
Number 21, August 2009
Delayed Childbearing: More Women Are Having Their
First Child Later in Life
T.J. Mathews, M.S., and Brady E. Hamilton, Ph.D.

Summary
Definitions
Data sources and methods
About the authors
References
Suggested Citation


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Key findings
Data from the Birth Data File, National Vital Statistics System
The average age of first-time mothers increased 3.6 years from 1970 to 2006, from 21.4 to 25.0 years.
Increases in average age at first birth were more pronounced in the 1970s and 1980s.
Average age at first birth increased in all states and the District of Columbia; the District of Columbia (5.5 years) and Massachusetts (5.2 years) had the largest increases since 1970.
In 2006, Asian or Pacific Islander women had the oldest average age at first birth (28.5 years) and American Indian or Alaska Native women had the youngest (21.9 years).
The average age at first birth has been increasing in many developed nations.
Of particular interest to both researchers and the public is the “average” age of women when they have a child, especially their first. Age at first birth influences the total number of births that a woman might have in her life, which impacts the size, composition, and future growth of the population. The age of the mother, both younger and older, plays a strong role in a wide range of birth outcomes (e.g., birthweight, multiple births, and birth defects), so it is critical to track the average age at which women have their first birth.

Keywords: average age, first birth, race and Hispanic origin, state-specific average age

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Products - Data Briefs - Number 21 - August 2009