In my previous post I stated that out of wedlock birth rates were continuing to increase. However, I was incorrect. According to the August 2014 Census paper Recent Declines in Nonmarital Childbearing in the United States out of wedlock birth rates have declined slightly in the last few years:
The most dramatic change is in the number of out of wedlock births. However, since these were falling at the same rate as in wedlock births the percent of births which were out of wedlock remained nearly unchanged. The peak for out of wedlock birth rates was in 2009 at 41%, and this dropped down to 40.6% in 2013.
But the overall number masks what is going on by age and race. Since 2007 out of wedlock birth rates have fallen for women under 30, have remained roughly flat for women 30-34, and increased for women 35 and over:
Out of wedlock birth rates have fallen the most for Hispanics, and to a lesser degree for Blacks. White and Asian out of wedlock birth rates have declined slightly as well.
Out of wedlock births are now more likely to involve cohabiting parents than in the recent past:
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