What does this measure?

The number of pregnancies among females ages 15 to 19, expressed as a percentage of females in that age group.

Why is this important?

Pregnancy can derail a young woman’s life, preventing her from furthering her education or growing up to be self–sufficient. Pregnant teens are less likely to receive prenatal care, putting their babies at risk for premature births, low birth weight and infant mortality. Babies born to teen mothers are also at risk of child abuse or neglect, poor educational outcomes and living in poverty.

How are Cayuga and Seneca counties performing?

In 2009, the rate of teen pregnancy in females ages 15–19 was about 4% in Cayuga and 3% in Seneca, similar to the state (excluding NYC) rate of 4%. In Auburn, the rate was higher at almost 9%. The rate in Cayuga declined from 5% in 2000, similar to state trends. Seneca has also seen a decline since 2000, though there has been more fluctuation. This fluctuation may be due in part very low numbers of teen pregnancies, with just 31 in 2009. Among comparison counties, Ontario had the lowest rate at below 3% and Onondaga had the highest at 5%.

Notes about the data

Rates do not represent a unique count of pregnancies—a female may have more than one pregnancy within a given year. Not all pregnancies result in live births.