RELEVANT CHILDREN'S MINISTRY

A recent report from the U.S. Census Bureau says 62% of women age 20 to 24 who gave birth in the previous 12 months were unmarried.  This compares with 31.9% of women age 25 to 29, 19.3% of women ages 30-34, and 17.4% of women ages 35 to 39.

The increased share of unmarried recent mothers is one measure of the nation's changing family structure.  Non-marital fertility has been climbing steadily since the 1940s and has risen even more markedly in recent years."

There were a number of metropolitan areas with considerably higher percentages of unmarried recent moms than the national average.  Among these were Flagstaff, Ariz. (75 percent); Greenville, N.C. (69 percent); Lima, Ohio (68 percent); Myrtle Beach, S.C. (67 percent); and Danville, Va. (67 percent).

Several metropolitan areas had considerably lower percentages of unmarried recent moms than the national average. Among these are Provo-Orem, Utah (8 percent); Kennewick-Pasco-Richland, Wash. (12 percent); Bremerton-Silverdale, Wash. (13 percent); and Lake Havasu City-Kingman, Ariz. (13 percent).