Out-of-Wedlock Births in Utah

Claims

"Statewide, 4,218 children were born out of wedlock for a rate of 117 per thousand live births."
- We�re Christians Too!, Let Us Reason Ministries
- Latter-day Saints Are People, Too: Is Mormonism in Utah really working?, The Watchman Expositor 7(4)

"The number of out-of-wedlock births in the state increased by 7 percent from 1987 to 1988, the 14th consecutive year the out-of-wedlock birthrate has increased in Utah."
- Larry Hall, Stop Hurting My Children!, Sword of the Spirit Apologetics

"Utah ranks as...one of the top ten states for out of wedlock births...."
- Waana, Reasons Why The Mormon Church Is Not True, posted on Recovery from Mormonism, 5/18/02

What is Utah's out-of-wedlock birth rate?

The rate cited above, 117 per 1,000, is the correct figure for 1988. In 2001, Utah's rate was 174 per 1,000.

Figure 1 shows the out-of-wedlock birth rates for Utah and the United States. Rates are the percentage of live births to unmarried mothers. Utah's rate is about one-half the national average.

Figure 1. Out-of-wedlock birth rates for the United States and Utah, 1985-2001.

How does Utah's rate compare to the rest of the country?

Table 1 shows how Utah's rate compares to the rest of the states.

Table 1. State out-of-wedlock birth rates for the United States, 1992-2001.
Year High Average Low
1992 42.9 MS 30.1 15.2 UT
1993 44.4 MS 31.0 15.5 UT
1994 45.4 MS 32.6 15.7 UT
1995 45.3 MS 32.2 15.7 UT
1996 45.0 MS 32.4 16.2 UT
1997 45.4 MS 32.4 16.6 UT
1998 45.4 MS 32.8 17.1 UT
1999 45.9 MS 33.0 16.7 UT
2000 46.0 MS 33.2 17.3 UT
2001* 46.3 MS 33.4 17.4 UT
Average 45.2 MS 32.3 16.3 UT
* Preliminary data.

Utah has had the lowest rate of out-of-wedlock births every single year since at least 1985 (and probably even longer--Utah also had the lowest rate in 1970 and 1980).

The following map shows how out of wedlock birth rates vary across the country.

Figure 2. State out-of-wedlock birth rates, 1992-2001 average.

Is Utah's rate increasing?

From 1987 to 1988, Utah's rate increased 5.3%. This was the 14th consecutive annual increase, as claimed above. Utah's rate continued to increase until 1999, when the rate decreased for the first time since 1974, ending 24 consecutive years of increases.

Nationally, the U.S. average rate declined in 1995 for the first time since 1951, ending a series of 43 consecutive annual increases.

Figure 3 shows these trends in out-of-wedlock birth rates for the United States (1940-2001) and Utah (1970-2001).

Figure 3. Out-of-wedlock birth rates for the United States and Utah, 1940-2001.

Sources

State rates were obtained from the following sources from the National Center for Health Statistics:

Year(s) Source
1970,80,85-93 Report to Congress on Out-of-Wedlock Childbearing
1994 Monthly Vital Statistics Report 44(11), supp.
1995 Monthly Vital Statistics Report 45(11), supp.
1996 Monthly Vital Statistics Report 46(11), supp.
1997 National Vital Statistics Reports 47(18)
1998 National Vital Statistics Reports 48(3)
1999 National Vital Statistics Reports 49(1)
2000 National Vital Statistics Reports 50(5)
2001 National Vital Statistics Reports 50(10)

Rates for the United States for 1940-99 are from National Vital Statistics Reports 48(16).
Rates for Utah for 1970-98 are from the Utah Department of Health.

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