Several recent trends in the vital statistics of the United States con
tinued in 1996, including an increase in life expectancy and declines
in infant mortality, births to teenage mothers, age-adjusted death rat
es, and death rates for children and adolescents. In 1996, there were
an estimated 3914953 births in the United States. The preliminary birt
h rate remained unchanged at 14.8 births per 1000 population, and the
fertility rate, births per 1000 women 15 to 44 years of age, was essen
tially the same at 65.7. Fertility rates rose slightly for most racial
and ethnic groups except black women, for whom the rate hit a histori
c low of 70.8. Overall, fertility remains particularly high for Hispan
ic women, although there is considerable variation within this heterog
enous group. For the fifth consecutive year, birth rates dropped for t
eenagers. Birth rates for women greater than or equal to 30 years of a
ge continued to increase. The birth rate for unmarried women declined
1% in 1996 to 44.6 births per 1000 unmarried women, continuing the dec
line noted in 1995 for the first time in 2 decades. The percentage of
women who began prenatal care in the first trimester rose in 1996 to 8
1.8%, whereas the percentage with late (third trimester) or no care dr
opped to 4.1%. The rise in timely prenatal care was greatest for black
and Hispanic women. The percentage of low birth weight (LBW) infants
reached 7.4% in 1996, its highest level since 1975. The very low birth
weight rate remained unchanged at 1.4%. The rise in LBW occurred prim
arily among white women, whereas the LBW rate for black women dropped
to 13.0%, the lowest rate reported since 1987. The rise among white wo
men is only partially a result of increases in multiple births, becaus
e LBW rates have also risen among white singleton births. The multiple
birth ratio rose again in 1996 by 2%, as it has since 1980. The rise
was particularly large for higher-order multiple births. Infant mortal
ity reached an all time low level of 7.2 deaths per 1000 births, based
on preliminary 1996 data. Neonatal and postneonatal rates declined, a
s did rates for both black and white infants. National birth weight sp
ecific mortality rates are reported here for the first time. In 1995,
63% of infant deaths occurred to the 7.3% of the population that was b
orn LBW. The four leading cause of infant death were congenital anomal
ies, disorders relating to short gestation and unspecified birth weigh
t, sudden infant death syndrome, and respiratory distress syndrome, ac
counting for more than half of infant deaths in 1996. Despite the decl
ines in infant mortality, the United States continues to rank poorly i
n international comparisons of infant mortality. Expectation of life a
t birth reached a new high in 1996 of 76.1 years for all gender and ra
ce groups combined. Age-adjusted mortality rates declined in 1996 for
diseases of the heart, malignant neoplasms, cerebrovascular diseases,
accidents and adverse effects, chronic liver disease and cirrhosis, an
d suicide. They rose, as in the past several years, for chronic obstru
ctive pulmonary diseases, diabetes mellitus, and pneumonia and influen
za. For the first time since human immunodeficiency virus infection wa
s created as a special cause-of-death category in 1987, death rates fo
r human immunodeficiency virus infection declined from 15.6 in 1995 to
11.6 in 1996. The homicide rate also declined, as it has since 1991.
Death rates for children between 1 and 19 years of age declined in 199
6, with an estimated 29183 deaths to children. Unintentional injury mo
rtality has dropped by similar to 50% among children and adolescents s
ince 1979, although it remains the leading cause of death for all age
groups of children from 1 to 19 years. Homicide was the fourth leading
cause of death for children 1 to 4 and 5 to 9 years of age, the third
leading cause for children 10 to 14, and the second leading cause for
15 to 19 year olds.