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More excerpts from various sources:

The top 10 states with the lowest rate of births to unwed mothers [2007] are:

Utah (19.6%)

Colorado (25.4%)

Idaho (25.5%)

New Hampshire (31.4%)

North Dakota (32.6%)

Minnesota (32.7%)

Washington (33.2%)

Massachusetts (33.4%)

Nebraska (33.4%)

Iowa (34.3%)

— http://blog.healia.com/00364/births-unwed-mothers-reach-alltime-high-10-states-still-have-low-birth-rates-out-wedlock :

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The 1960 United States Census reported that 9% of children were dependent on a single parent, a number that has increased to 28% by the 2000 US Census.

About 16% of children worldwide live in a single-parent household.[7] In 2006, 12.9 million families in the US were headed by a single parent, 80% of which were headed by a female.[8][9] In 2003, 14% of all Australian households were single-parent families. Since 2001, 31% of babies born in Australia have been born to unmarried mothers.[10] In the United Kingdom, about 1 out of 4 families with dependent children are single-parent families, 8 to 11 percent of which have a male single-parent.[3][11][12]

Countries located in Asia and the Middle East are the least likely to have children raised in single parent households. On the other hand, the 3 areas of the world that are most likely to have non-marital childbearing are Latin America, South Africa, and Sweden. Along with this, the areas where there are an extremely high number of children living in single parent homes include Africa, Europe, Latin America, North America, and Oceania. It has also been shown that children living in areas of South Africa are the very most likely to live with a single parent.[14] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single_parent#Demographics

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The extent of this problem was confirmed in a recent study by the Baltimore-based Annie E. Casey Foundation. Comparing statistics for its Kids Count report, the organization reported that Detroit ranks No.1 in unmarried births among the nation’s 50 largest cities. Of the 16,729 babies born in Detroit in 1997, 13,574 were black, 1,679 were white and 817 were Hispanic. Seventy-one percent were born to unmarried mothers. This compared with a state average of 33 percent and a 50-city average of 43 percent...

This “substantial weakening of the institution of marriage” is also part of a national trend identified in a report by the National Marriage Project at Rutgers University. It found that the marriage rate fell from about 73 marriages per 1,000 unmarried women aged 15 and up in 1960 to about 49 per 1,000 in 1996, the latest available figures...

a survey conducted by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago found that the traditional nuclear family — a married couple with children — accounted for only 26 percent of households in 1998, down from 45 percent in 1972. - http://www.dadi.org/dn_bleak.htm

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Nonmarital childbearing reduces the likelihood of marriage. Some 82% of white women, 62% of Hispanics and 59% of blacks who had a nonmarital first birth had married by age 40; the corresponding proportions among those who avoided nonmarital childbearing were 89%, 93% and 76%, respectively. - http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/journals/3428602.html

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Ann Coulter: Guilty: Liberal "Victims" and Their Assault on America;

"Of all single mothers in America, only 6.5 percent of them are widows, 37.8 percent are divorced, and 41.3 percent gave birth out of wedlock. The 6.5 percent of single mothers whose husbands have died shouldn't be called 'single mothers' at all. We already have a word for them: 'widows.' Their children do just fine compared with the children of married parents." -- P.35

By 1996, 70 percent of inmates in state juvenile detention centers serving long-term sentences were raised by single mothers. Seventy-two percent of juvenile murderers and 60 percent of rapists come from single-mother homes. Seventy percent of teenage births, dropouts, suicides, runaways, juvenile delinquents, and child murderers involve children raised by single mothers. Girls raised without fathers are more sexually promiscuous and more likely to end up divorced. A 1990 study by the Progressive Policy Institute showed that after controlling for single motherhood, the difference between black and white crime rates disappeared.

A study cited in the Village Voice produced similar numbers. It found that children brought up in single-mother homes 'are five times more likely to commit suicide, nine times more likely to drop out of high school, 10 times more likely to abuse chemical substances, 14 times more likely to commit rape (for the boys), 20 times more likely to end up in prison, and 32 times more likely to run away from home.'

In 1990, 28 percent of children under eighteen were being raised in one-parent homes (mother or father), and 71 percent were being raised in two-parent homes. By 2005, more than one-third of all babies born in the United States were illegitimate. That's a lot of social problems coming.

...Imagine an America with 70 percent fewer juvenile delinquents, 70 percent fewer teenage births, 63 to 70 percent fewer teenage suicides, and 70 percent to 90 percent fewer runaways and you will appreciate what the sainted single mothers have accomplished." -- P.37-38

The illegitimacy rate has gone up by more than 300 percent since 1970. " -- P.43

"A 2008 study led by Georgia State University economist Benjamin Scafidi found that single mothers -- unwed or divorced -- cost the US taxpayer $112 billion every year." -- P.51

"According to the US Justice Department crime statistics, domestic abuse is virtually nonexistent for married women living with their husbands. From 1993 to 2005, the number of married women victimized by their husbands ranged from 0.9 to 3.2 per 1000. Domestic violence was about 40 times more likely among divorced or separated women, ranging from 37.7 to 118.5 per 1000. Even never married women were more than twice as likely to be victims of domestic violence as married women." -- P.57-58 - http://rightwingnews.com/mt331/2009/04/ann_coulter_on_single_mothers.php

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The preliminary estimate of births in 2007 was 4,317,119, 1 per cent more than in 2006 (4,265,555) and the highest number ever registered for the United States (Tables 1 and 2; Figure 1) (1). This number surpasses the peak of the postwar ''baby boom,'' in 1957

The preliminary crude birth rate (CBR) increased by nearly 1 percent in 2007 to 14.3 births per 1,000 total population from 14.2 in 2006.

Preliminary CBRs for states varied considerably in 2007, ranging from 10.5 births per 1,000 total population in Vermont to 20.8 in Utah (Table 6). Birth rates for 13 states (Alabama, California, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Washington, and West Virginia) increased significantly between 2006 and 2007, whereas birth rates for three states (Arizona, Colorado, and Michigan) and three territories (American Samoa, Puerto Rico, and Northern Marianas) decreased significantly. The rates for the remaining states, District of Columbia, and U.S. Virgin Islands were essentially unchanged

The general fertility rate (GFR) also increased in 2007, by 1 percent, to 69.5 births per 1,000 women aged 15-44 years, the highest level since 1990

GFRs for states varied considerably in 2007 as well, ranging from 53.2 births per 1,000 women age 15-44 years in Vermont to 94.4 in Utah (Table 6). Fertility rates increased significantly for 30 states between 2006 and 2007 (Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin). However, fertility rates for three territories only (American Samoa, Puerto Rico, and Northern Marianas) decreased significantly. Fertility rates for the remaining states, District of Columbia, and U.S. Virgin Islands were essentially unchanged. + All measures of childbearing by unmarried women increased in the United States to historic levels in 2007 (preliminary data)

The total number of births to unmarried women increased 4 percent from 2006, to 1,714,643 (Table 7). The 2007 total is up 26 percent from 2002 when the recent steep increases began. Births to unmarried women increased from 2006 to 2007 within each age group 15 years and over, and the increases far outpaced those in total (married and unmarried) births for ages 15-39 years, National Center for Health Statistics, National Vital Statistics Reports - Volume 57, Number 12 March 18, 2009 Births: Preliminary Data for 2007 http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr57/nvsr57_12.pdf

In 2008, teenage birth rates ranged from 19.8 in New Hampshire to 65.7 in Mississippi (Table B and 12). The wide range in state-specific teen rates is consistent with patterns observed in previous years. In 2008, as in previous years, teenage birth rates were lowest in the Northeast and upper Midwest and highest across the South and Southwest (18). Contributing to the variation in state-specific teen birth rates are persistent differences in teenage birth rates among race and Hispanic origin groups; see earlier section on ''Age of mother.'' Nation ally, birth rates are significantly higher for Hispanic and non-Hispanic black teenagers than for non-Hispanic white teenagers. It follows that states with a large proportion of Hispanic or non-Hispanic black teen agers would tend to have higher overall teen birth rates. National Vital Statistics Reports, Births: Final Data for 2008 http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr59/nvsr59_01.pdf

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Most of the teen pregnancies occurring before 1980 were to married women; now most of today's teen mothers are unwed. Here are some more interesting teen pregnancy statistics:

How many teens are becoming pregnant?

Despite declines in rates of teen pregnancy in the U.S., about 820,000 teens become pregnant each year. That means that 34 percent of teenagers have at least one pregnancy before they turn 20.

79 percent of teenagers who become pregnant are unmarried.

Utah's teen pregnancy rate is high, as well as Southern teen pregnancy but these are areas where women still get married prior to the age of 20 with some regularity (although this is changing).

80 percent of teenage pregnancies are unintended.

Nearly four in ten teenage girls whose first intercourse experience happened at 13 or 14 report that the sex was unwanted or involuntary.

The main rise in the teen pregnancy rate is among girls younger than 15*

Close to 25 percent of teen mothers have a second child within two years of the first birth.*

Social, educational and financial costs of teen pregnancy

The United State spends $7 billion each year due to the costs of teen pregnancy.

Only one-third of teenage mothers complete high school and receive their diplomas

By age 30, only 1.5 percent of women who had pregnancies as a teenager have a college degree.

80 percent of unmarried teen mothers end up on welfare

Within the first year of becoming teen mothers, one-half of unmarried teen mothers go on welfare.*

The daughters of teen mothers are 22 percent more likely than their peers to become teen mothers.

Sons of teenaged mothers have a 13 percent greater chance of ending up in prison as compared to their peers.

How much greater is the U.S. teen pregnancy rate than other countries?*

Greater teen pregnancy rates translate into higher abortion in the United States for the industrialized world.

The U.S. has twice the teen pregnancy rate as Canada

Both Germany and France have a teen pregnancy rate that is four times lower than the U.S.

Japan's teen pregnancy rate is eight times lower the United States - http://www.teenhelp.com/teen-pregnancy/teen-pregnancy-statistics.html

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One in four children in the United States is being raised by a single parent — a percentage that has been on the rise and is higher than other developed countries, according to a report released Wednesday.

Of the 27 industrialized countries studied by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, the U.S. had 25.8 percent of children being raised by a single parent, compared with an average of 14.9 percent across the other countries.

In the African American community, 72 percent of Black children are raised in a single parent household.

Here are some stats on the city to city breakdown of single parent families in the Black community from 2009.

Ireland was second (24.3 percent), followed by New Zealand (23.7 percent). Greece, Spain, Italy and Luxemborg had among the lowest percentages of children in single-parent homes. - NewsOne Staff on April 27, 2011 http://newsone.com/nation/newsonestaff3/children-single-parents-u-s-american/

Britain has more single mothers than any other major country in Europe, an official analysis has revealed.

The analysis, by the EU’s statistical arm Eurostat, comes after Britain’s tax and benefit system was revealed to be more heavily biased against traditional families than any other in the Western world.

Married couples with children who live on one earner’s average income in Britain pay 73 per cent of the tax that a single person without children has to pay. This is a burden nearly 40 per cent higher than is typical in the developed world and 20 per cent higher than the average EU tax bill.http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1372533/Britain-lone-parents-major-Euro-nation.html?printingPage=true

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A study conducted in 2006 found that adolescents who were more exposed to sexuality in the media were also more likely to engage in sexual activity themselves.[76]

According to Time, "teens exposed to the most sexual content on TV are twice as likely as teens watching less of this material to become pregnant before they reach age 20".[77]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teenage_pregnancy#cite_note-76

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The number of births rose 26% and the birth rate for unmarried women climbed 21% during 2002-2007.

Nonmarital birth rates are highest for Hispanic women followed by black women. Rates for non-Hispanic white and Asian or Pacific Islander women are much lower.

Most births to teenagers (86% in 2007) are nonmarital, but 60% of births to women 20-24 and nearly one-third of births to women 25-29 were nonmarital in 2007.

Teenagers accounted for just 23% of nonmarital births in 2007, down steeply from 50% in 1970. In 1970, 50% of nonmarital births were to unmarried women under age 20. In the years since the mid-1970s, this proportion has fallen steadily.

In 2007, 23% of nonmarital births were to teenagers. The decline largely reflects the drop in birth rates for unmarried teenagers concurrent with the large increases in birth rates for adult unmarried women.

Sixty percent of nonmarital births in 2007 were to women in their twenties, significantly higher than the 42% level in 1970. Nearly one in five births to women in their thirties were nonmarital in 2007 compared with one in seven in 2002. NCHS Data Brief ■ No. 18 ■ May 2009, Changing Patterns of Nonmarital Childbearing in the

United States, Stephanie J. Ventura, m.a., division of vital statistics - http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db18.pdf

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The District of Columbia and Mississippi had the highest rates of out-of-wedlock births in 2007: 59 percent and 54 percent, respectively. The lowest rate, 20 percent, was in Utah. In New York, the rate was 41 percent; in New Jersey, 34 percent; and in Connecticut, 35 percent. Sarah S. Brown, chief executive of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, a nonprofit advocacy group, said sex and pregnancy were handled far too cavalierly in the United States, where rates of unplanned pregnancies, births and abortions are far higher than those of other industrialized nations. - http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/13/health/13mothers.html

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After having relative stability in births to unmarried women from the mid 1990s to 2002, we've seen really big increases between 2002 and 2007," said Stephanie J. Ventura, director of the Reproductive Statistics Branch at the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics and author of the report.

For comparison, Ventura looked at out-of-wedlock births in other industrialized countries between 1980 and 2007 and found a dramatic increase there as well.

The largest increases were seen in the Netherlands, where out-of-wedlock births rose from 4 to 40 percent. In Spain, out-of-wedlock births increased from 4 percent to 28 percent, in Ireland the numbers went from 5 to 33 percent and in Italy they rose from 4 to 21 percent.

Other findings in the report include:

Countries with a higher percentage of births to unwed mothers than recorded in the United States include Iceland (66 percent), Sweden (55 percent), Norway (54 percent), France (50 percent), Denmark (46 percent) and the U.K. (44 percent).

Countries with lower rates of out-of-wedlock births than the United States include Ireland (33 percent), Germany (30 percent), Canada (30 percent), Spain (28 percent), Italy (21 percent) and Japan (2 percent).

Among [U.S.] women in their 20s, 45 percent of births are to those who are not married. In 2007, among women 20 to 24 years old, 60 percent of births were out-of-wedlock, up from 52 percent in 2002. Almost 33 percent of births to women 25 to 29 years old were out-of-wedlock in 2007, up from 25 percent in 2002.

Hispanic women have the highest out-of-wedlock birth rate (106 births per 1,000). The rate for black women is 72 per 1,000 births; for white women, it's 32 per 1,000.

Bill Albert, a spokesman for the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, said he thinks that many Americans don't take having children seriously...

The real issue, Albert said, is the welfare of these children. "We now have about two decades of good social science research that comes to the conclusion that, as a general matter, children do better in low-conflict, loving, two-parent families," he said. -

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Also of interest,

http://peacebyjesus.witnesstoday.org/Statistical_Correlations.html

http://www.infoplease.com/spot/babynames1.html

http://www.childtrendsdatabank.org/?q=node/196

Adultery, Fornication, and Sodomy