Return to the PIE Home PageIn 1996, the total number of births to unwed mothers in Franklin County was 5,489 or 34.8% of total births. As the graph indicates, births to unwed mothers are consistently higher among black females than white or other race females. In 1996, 70.1% of black births in Franklin County were to unwed mothers, compared to 24.2% of all other births. However the majority of unwed births (71.9%) are to white females.
The percentage of total births to unwed mothers in Franklin County increased steadily each year from 1988 to 1993. Since then, unwed birth totals show modest declines.
Mothers are considered to be unwed if they answer "No" to item 23 on the child's birth certificate. Item 23 reads: "Mother married? (at conception, at birth or anytime in between)."
Total Unwed Total Unwed Total Unwed Total
White White Black Black Other Other Total Unwed
Year Births Births Births Births Births Births Births Births
1988 11,961 2,124 3,462 2,345 402 51 15,825 4,520
1989 12,309 2,298 3,691 2,572 423 68 16,423 4,938
1990 12,244 2,323 3,777 2,645 485 67 16,506 5,035
1991 12,412 2,470 3,539 2,687 450 61 16,401 5,218
1992 12,515 2,589 3,625 2,778 516 97 16,656 5,464
1993 11,929 2,748 3,931 2,837 578 95 16,438 5,680
1994 11,900 2,729 3,830 2,729 664 141 16,394 5,599
1995 11,543 2,637 3,772 2,649 642 129 15,957 5,415
1996 11,339 2,753 3,647 2,558 776 178 15,762 5,489
Year White Black Other Total 1988 17.8 67.7 12.7 28.6 1989 18.7 69.7 16.1 30.1 1990 19.0 70.0 13.8 30.5 1991 19.9 75.9 13.6 31.8 1992 20.7 76.6 18.8 32.8 1993 23.0 72.2 16.4 34.6 1994 22.9 71.3 21.2 34.2 1995 22.8 70.2 20.1 33.9 1996 24.3 70.1 22.9 34.8
Note: The percentages above represent the percent of the particular group's births that were to unwed mothers. For example, in 1988, there were 11,961 white births of which 2,124 (or 17.8%) were to unwed mothers.
Source: Ohio Department of Health, Vital Statistics Annual Report
Filename: SD-078