5 minute read
Birth Rate
Description of Indicator: This indicator, also referred to as the crude birth rate, is based on the number of live births as a proportion of the total population (number of births in a year per 1,000 residents). A live birth is defined as the complete expulsion or extraction from its mother of a newborn (irrespective of the duration of gestation) which, after such separation, exhibits any sign of life, such as respiration, heartbeat, umbilical pulsation, or movement of voluntary muscles. A live birth is not always a viable birth. This definition was formulated by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1950, and is set forth in the California Administrative code, Title 17, Chapter 1, Article 3.
Importance: The birth rate is a predictor of population growth for a specific geographic area, especially when compared to the death rate.
Advertisement
Trends: National, state and county birth rates did not change much in the first part of the decade, however, birth rates started to trend down starting from 2008, which was the onset of the Great Recession.1 By 2010 the U.S., California and Orange County all saw a ten year low in birth rates. The national birth rate dropped 10% from 2000 (14.4 births per 1,000 population) to 2010 (13.0 per 1,000 population). California’s birth rate dropped 12% from 15.6 births per 1,000 population in 2000 to 13.7 per 1,000 population in 2010. In 2010, there were 38,237 births to Orange County residents. Orange County’s birth rate saw the largest decline of 23%, from 16.5 births per 1,000 population in 2000 to its lowest rate of 12.7 per 1,000 population in 2010. At the beginning of the decade, Orange County’s birth rate was well above both national and state rates. After 2004, however, Orange County’s birth rate dropped below California’s birth rate, and by 2010 it also dropped below the national birth rate (Figure 1).
Figure 1: Crude Birth Rate U.S., California, and Orange County (2000 - 2010)
18
ation) Crude Birth Rate (per 1,000 popu l 17
16
15
14
13 U.S.
12 California
11 Orange Co.
10 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010
Geography: The geographic distribution of Orange County’s birth rate provides an important view regarding where most births are occurring, allowing for more accurate distribution of resources and education efforts. The table at right summarizes the birth rate per 1,000 residents by the birth mother’s city of residence.
In 2010, nearly one in three (31%) births in Orange County were to mothers residing in the two cities of Santa Ana (16.3%; n=6,232) or Anaheim (14.4%; n=5,492). These two cities also had the highest birth rates with 19.2 births per 1,000 residents in Santa Ana, followed by Anaheim with 16.3 births per 1,000 residents. Laguna Woods, a retirement community, had the lowest birth rate at 0.3 per 1,000 residents (Table 1).
The map on the following page presents the birth rate by ZIP code of residence in 2010 for Orange County. When compared across ZIP codes, the rate ranged from a high of 20.7 per 1,000 residents for ZIP code 92701 in Santa Ana to a low of 4.4 births per 1,000 residents in Balboa Island ZIP code 92662.
Table 1: Crude Birth Rate by City (2010)
City
Santa Ana Anaheim San Clemente Tustin Aliso Viejo La Habra Costa Mesa Orange
California
Garden Grove Los Alamitos San Juan Capistrano
United States
Buena Park
Orange County
Stanton Placentia Rancho Santa Margarita Irvine Brea Fullerton Unincorporated Westminster Huntington Beach Laguna Hills Dana Point Laguna Niguel Mission Viejo Cypress Lake Forest Yorba Linda La Palma Fountain Valley Newport Beach Laguna Beach Seal Beach Villa Park Laguna Woods
Birth Rate per 1,000 Population
19.2 16.3 15.6 15.6 15.0 14.4 14.2 13.9 13.7 13.7 13.4 13.1 13.0 13.0 12.7 12.6 12.6 12.0 11.7 11.5 11.2 11.2 10.7 10.3 9.8 9.6 9.4 9.2 9.0 8.7 8.7 8.6 7.9 7.5 7.2 5.2 4.5 0.3
Orange County Crude Birth Rate (2010) Rate per 1,000 Population
LA HABRA BREA
FULLERTON YORBA LINDA
PLACENTIA
LA PALMA BUENA PARK ANAHEIM
CYPRESS
LOS ALAMITOS STANTON
GARDEN GROVE VILLA PARK
ORANGE
SEAL BEACH WESTMINSTER
SANTA ANA
FOUNTAIN VALLEY TUSTIN UNINCORPORATED
HUNTINGTON BEACH
COSTA MESA
NEWPORT BEACH IRVINE
LAKE FOREST UNINCORPORATED
RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA
LAGUNA WOODS MISSION VIEJO
LAGUNA HILLS ALISO VIEJO
Countywide Rate: 12.7 per 1,000 Populaiton
Crude Rate
<7.5 7.5 - 12.7 12.8 - 13.5 13.6 - 20.6 City Boundaries
LAGUNA BEACH
LAGUNA NIGUEL
SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO
DANA POINT
SAN CLEMENTE
Source: 2010 Orange County Statistical Master Birth File
Maternal Race/Ethnicity: Hispanics, with half (49.5%) of all births in 2010, had the highest birth rate at 18.7 per 1,000 population. This was the only racial/ethnic group to have a higher birth rate than the countywide birth rate of 12.7 per 1,000 population and the California birth rate of 13.7 births per 1,000 population. Asian/Pacific Islanders had the next highest birth rate of 12.1 per 1,000 population. The birth rate among Blacks was 11.1 per 1,000. Whites, while having nearly one-third of all births (30.6%), had the lowest birth rate, of the four main groups, at 8.8 per 1,000 population (Table 2).
Table 2: Crude Births by Maternal Race/Ethnicity (2010) Number of Births % of Births Population (2010)
Hispanic Asian/PI Black White
18,930 49.5% 1,012,973 6,551 17.1% 489 1.3% 540,834 44,000 11,711 30.6% 1,328,499 Other/Unknown 556 1.5% 83,926
Countywide 2010 38,237 100.0% 3,010,232
Statewide 2010 HP 2010 HP 2020 Rate/1,000 population
18.7 12.1 11.1 8.8 6.6
12.7 13.7 N/A N/A
Maternal Age Groups: In 2010, the vast majority of births occurred among women ages 20-39 years (88.8%; n=33,983), with birth rates ranging from 30.1 to 54.7 per 1,000 population for this age group (Table 3). Women 30-34 years had the highest percentage of births (28.3%) and the highest birth rate (54.7 per 1,000 population). The birth rate for females 40+ years of age was the lowest at 1.3 per 1,000 population and accounted for only 4.5% of all births, followed by females under 20 years of age with 3.0 births per 1,000 population (Table 3).
Table 3: Crude Births by Maternal Age Group (2010) Number of Births % of Births Population (2010) Rate/1,000 population
Under 20 years 20-24 years 25-29 years 30-34 years 35-39 years 40+ years Unknown 2,515 6.6% 828,442 6,431 16.8% 213,691 10,082 26.4% 215,396 10,839 28.3% 198,168 6,631 17.3% 213,591 1,732 4.5% 1,340,945 7 0.0% 0 3.0 30.1 46.8 54.7 31.0 1.3
