Teen Birthrates Declining

Santa Barbara County’s birthrate among females ages 15-19 is decreasing in line with the country’s, according to data provided by the county’s Public Health Department and a study conducted by the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics. National figures show that 29.4 teens per thousand gave birth in 2012, the lowest number ever reported. Similarly, the county’s 2011 statistics show a rate of 29.3. The national and Santa Barbara numbers have both been declining since 2007.