City's teen birthrate at historic low

Milwaukee's birthrate for girls 15 to 17 years old continues to plunge, reaching a historic low in 2015, the Milwaukee Health Department plans to announce Friday.

The decrease was seen across all racial and ethnic groups, according to the department. The city's teen birthrate has declined 65% since 2006, when one out of every 20 girls gave birth to a child.

"We have made incredible progress in reducing the teen birthrate," said Mayor Tom Barrett. "We should be proud of what this means for the future of our young residents."

According to the Health Department, the overall teen birthrate for 15-t o 17-year-olds declined from 23.9 per 1,000 girls in 2014 to 18.1. The black rate declined from 27 to 22.3. The Hispanic rate dropped from 25.1 to 19.4. The white rate, which shot up in 2014, dropped from 9.8 to 6.7.

While the number of girls between the ages of 15 to 17 increased from 11,689 in 2014 to 12,880 in 2015, the number of births declined from 279 to 233, the lowest number of births on record.

"This community has fought for these outcomes," said Nicole Angresano, vice president of community impact for the United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County.

"Across ZIP codes, across demographics, across constituencies, we have come together to demand better for our young people," she said.

Betsy Brenner, co-chair of the United Way's Teen Pregnancy Prevention Oversight Committee, called the decline "one of Milwaukee's enduring victories."

The teen pregnancy initiative began in 2008, when Milwaukee's teen birthrate was second only to Philadelphia among the nation's largest cities.

The goal then was to reduce Milwaukee's teen birth rate to 30 births per 1,000 by 2015.

The city met that goal in 2012.

The rate continued to fall in 2013. And in 2014, Barrett and initiative officials announced a new goal: to cut the 2013 rate in half by 2023.

Health Commissioner Bevan Baker said he was encouraged that the 2015 rates showed a tightening of racial and ethnic disparities.

"We are not only seeing Milwaukee's teen birthrate decline overall but are also closing the gap between racial and ethnic groups," he said.

"All our children are essential to our city's future, and we will not leave anyone behind."