Prenatal Care, Infant Mortality, and Low Birth Weight in the United States, by Race and Ethnicity, United States

Percent of Mothers Beginning Prenatal Care in the First Trimester of Pregnancy

All Women

83.6%

White

85.7%

Hispanic

82.6%

Black

80.9%

Asian/Pacific Islander

83.9%

Native American

81.0%

Infant Mortality Rate (deaths of infants under age one per 1,000 live births)

All Women

6.0

White

5.0

Hispanic

5.1

Black

11.2

Asian/Pacific Islander

4.1

Native American

8.4

Percent of Low Birth-Weight Babies (less than 5 lbs., 8 oz.)

All Women

8.0%

White

7.0%

Hispanic

7.1%

Black

13.1%

Asian/Pacific Islander

8.3%

Native American

7.5%

Notes: Data on prenatal care are for 2011. Data on infant mortality are for 2012. Data on the percent of low birth-weight babies are for 2013. For data on prenatal care and low birth-weight, whites and blacks are non-Hispanic; other racial groups include Hispanics. For data on infant mortality, all racial categories are non-Hispanic. Hispanics may be of any race or two or more races.
Source: IWPR compilation of data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2012 and 2013 and from Hamilton et al. 2014.