What’s measured This report studies birth rates from 2002 through 2005, using the number of live births reported by the North Carolina State Center for Health Statistics (part of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services) and the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control. The birth rate per 1,000 persons was calculated using population estimates from the U.S. Census. Why it’s measured The birth rate for the region provides important information regarding population growth and the vitality of the area. Higher birth rates signal an increase in the child-bearing population as well as in the number of individuals or couples starting families. Indicator results In 2005, the birth rate in the region was 14.8 live births per 1,000 persons. The birth rate remained stable from 2002 through 2005. Within the region, Mecklenburg, Union and Cabarrus counties posted the highest rates per 1,000 population in 2005. They had rates of 17.0, 16.0 and 15.9, respectively. The lowest rates were reported in Cleveland and Stanly counties (each at 11.6 per 1,000 persons), Anson (11.8), Lancaster (12.0) and Rowan counties (12.1). The region’s birth rate per 1,000 population (14.8) is slightly higher than North Carolina’s rate of 14.2 and higher than South Carolina’s rate of 13.5 for 2005. Five of the counties in the region maintained a birth rate at or above North Carolina’s. But many of the mostly rural counties in the region maintain birth rates below the birth rate of South Carolina. Evaluation Higher birth rates in the region are indicative of a demographic profile that includes a growing, young adult segment of the population in its child-bearing years. In particular, increased Latino immigration has contributed to increasing birth rates. Services to the segment of the Latino population that is unfamiliar with American medical, educational and social service systems will require attention. But even if birth rates remain constant, as long as the population is growing, then the number of births will be increasing. Thus, maintaining adequate levels of services for the region’s youth will continue to be significant in the years to come. Connections The birth rate has key connections to the region’s ability to provide adequate services to an expanding population, and cuts across all theme areas. The growth in the region’s population has come from the in-migration of people from outside the region as well as from existing residents having children. Some of the services that need to keep pace with population growth and rising birth rates are education, child care, social services and health care.
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