Document Type

Report

Publication Date

2008

Abstract

Introduction: This report analyzes crude birth rates among women in the three primary racial/ethnic groups, White, Black, and Latina, and further examines birth rates by age-specific groups in the five boroughs of New York City in 2002. In addition, this report presents the crude birth rates for six Latino nationalities: Mexican, Ecuadorian, Dominican, Colombian, Puerto Rican and Cuban.

Methods: The data examined here was derived from the NYC Vital Statistics 2002 Report and the Census 2000 SF4 table on Sex by Age by race and Latino nationality. The birth rates were calculated by dividing live birth numbers (Vital Statistics report) by total population count by age and racial/ethnic group (Census 2000 data) and multiplying this number by 1000.

Results: In 2002, birth rates for the general age group between 15 and 50 years of age were highest among Latina women at 63.1 per thousand, followed by Black women at 53.1 per thousand, and were lowest among White women at 50.8 per thousand. Latina women had higher birth rates than White and Black women for the two youngest age specific groups; 15 - 19 and 20 - 29. Latina women in the 15 - 19 year old age-specific group had a birth rate of 57.5 per thousand and 116.2 per thousand for 20 - 29 year olds. The second highest crude birth rates were among Black women, at 45.3 per thousand for 15 - 19 year olds and 96.8 per thousand for 20 - 29 year olds. Birth rates were lowest rates among White women, at 11.6 per thousand for 15 - 19 year olds and 64.3 per thousand for 20 - 29 year olds.

Discussion: These data reveal interesting disparities between racial/ethnic groups within NYC as well as between different Latino nationalities and invoke possibilities for further analysis. However, the characteristics within each group which would account for these overall differences remain to be examined. What can be deduced from these data is that Latina and Black women tend to have children earlier than White women. Among all three racial/ethnic groups there was a higher concentration in births in the 20 - 29 and 30 - 39 age groups. However, both Black and Latina women have much higher birth rates than White women in the 15 - 19 year old age specific group.

Comments

For additional information about this collection see http://clacls.gc.cuny.edu/

Citation information: Stone, V. (2008). Crude Birth Rates among New York City’s Racial/Ethnic Groups and Latino Nationalities In 2002. New York, NY: Center for Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino Studies at the CUNY Graduate Center.

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