In the above CDC map, the key indicates the number of births for
every 1,000 women between the ages of 15 and 19 in a state. For
example, in dark green states, there are 50 or more pregnancies
for every 1,000 women between the ages of 15 and 19. There is
good news: teen births are at their lowest level in more than 60
years (10 percent lower than 2009, 43 percent below their peak
in 1970). But the geographic variation is substantial. Teen
birthrates are highest in Texas, Oklahoma, Mississippi,
Arkansas, and New Mexico,. There are slightly lower
concentrations in the neighboring states of Louisiana, Alabama,
Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, and
Arizona. New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, and Massachusetts
have the lowest rates of teen births. What factors lie behind
this geographic pattern? With the steady statistical hand of my
Martin Prosperity Institute colleague Charlotta Mellander, I
took a quick look. Of course, the correlations we found are not
the same thing as causation.