Highest teen pregnancy rates

Mississippi has the nation’s highest teen pregnancy rate, according to a new federal report released Wednesday.

Mississippi’s rate was more than 60 percent higher than the national average in 2006, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. The teen pregnancy rate in Texas and New Mexico was more than 50 percent higher.

The three states have large proportions of black and Hispanic teenagers — groups that traditionally have higher birth rates, experts noted.

The lowest teen birth rates continue to be in New England, where three states have teen birth rates at just half the national average.

Here are the top 10, with number per 1,000 births:

1. Mississippi: 68.4%
2. New Mexico: 64.1
3. Texas: 63.1
4. Arkansas: 62.3
5. Arizona: 62.0
6. Oklahoma: 59.6
7. Nevada: 55.8
8. Tennessee: 54.7
9. Kentucky: 54.6
10. Georgia: 54.2

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

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