Share of births to unmarried women dips for the first time since 1995

For the first time in nearly two decades, the share of U.S. births to unmarried mothers ticked downward in 2014, according to new preliminary data from the National Center for Health Statistics. The report also showed that the total number of births and the U.S. birth rate rose in 2014 for the first time in seven years, reversing a decline linked to the Great Recession.

In 2014, 40% of births were to unmarried mothers, a slight decline from the 41% share that had held steady since 2008.