Nevada vs. teen pregnancy

Nevada’s teen pregnancy rate has dropped sharply, according to Centers for Disease Control figures. That’s the good news. The bad news is that the state’s rate is still nothing to brag about.

Over a three-year period (2007 to 2010), the state rate of births per 1,000 Nevadans aged 15 to 19 years old dropped by a fourth, from 51.6 to 38.6. In raw numbers, that's 4,351 to 3,413 births.

That means that out of 51 jurisdictions, Nevada still ranks 12th in the nation. In 2008, it was at 10th (“We're number 10,” RN&R, May 5, 2011).

Over this period, teen pregnancy declined across the nation, which meant that while Nevada's rate was dropping, so were other jurisdictions, so Nevada improved its ranking only incrementally. In 2008 the state ranked 10th. The rate fell by at least 8 percent in 47 states and D.C. and by 20 to 29 percent in 16 states, including Nevada.