- In 2022, 1 in 10 babies (10.4% of live births) was born preterm in the United States.
- In 2022, 1 in 12 babies (8.6% of live births) was low birthweight in the United States.
- In the United States in 2021, 19,944 infants died before reaching their first birthday, an infant mortality rate of 5.4 per 1,000 live births.
- In the United States in 2022, 74.9% of infants were born to women receiving adequate/adequate plus prenatal care.
- In the United States in 2022, 32.1% of live births were Cesarean deliveries.
- In 2020, about 1 in 9 women of childbearing age (11.6%) was uninsured in the United States.
In an average week in United States:
Choose a tab to jump to each section, tailored for United States.
Data Topics
Use this page to browse the multiple different data sets and indicators that PeriStats offers on maternal and infant health subjects. The data search tool on this page will guide you through the data we continually update.
Birthweight
Low birthweight is defined as less than 2500 grams or 5 ½ pounds. It is also common to classify low birthweight births into moderately low birthweight (1500-2499 grams or about 3 ½ - 5 ½ pounds) and very low birthweight (less than 1500 grams or 3 ⅓ pounds). These classifications are useful because they often correspond to clinical characteristics - increasing morbidities or illnesses with decreasing birthweight. Babies born too small are often born too soon. While the causes of low birthweight and preterm birth may be different in some cases, there is significant overlap within these populations of infants.
Last updated: January 2024
Reports
State summary reports consist of several different reports that the Perinatal Data Center has created in order to use data to tell a story about maternal and child health in your state. While some individual datapoints will overlap, each report has a different focus. These reports may be useful to use for local policy changes or programs.
Infographic
The March of Dimes Report Card indicates the maternal and infant health crisis is worsening. You can make a difference. Share your state's grade on your social channels, by email or by text and encourage others to take action by advocating for change.