Birth Outcomes - Total Fertility Rate
Summary Indicator Report Data View Options
Total Fertility Rate per 1,000 Women of Reproductive Age by County, New Mexico, 2017-2021
Why Is This Important?
The total fertility rate (TFR) is a useful and feasible measure of reproductive health. Trends in TFR may reflect the contributions of environmental exposures and other modifiable risk factors for decreased fertility. Lead and pesticides have been linked with decreased fertility in all people; there are also consistent associations between polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and sperm motility. Neighborhood-level characteristics including social, economic, and environmental risk factors also contribute to fertility (CDC NEPHT Program, 2022). Individuals in their 20s and early 30s have the highest TFR. In 2020, non-Hispanic White persons had the lowest TFR (range 897.2 to 1,808.8), followed by non-Hispanic Black persons (range 939.4 to 2,855.5) and "other" persons (range 1,124.9 to 3,547.3). Hispanic persons had the highest TFR with a range of 1,110.2 to 3,361.6 (CDC NEPHT Program Data Explorer, 2023).
Definition
Sum of (age-specific fertility rates in 5-year age groups * 1,000) * 5
Data Sources
- Birth Certificate Data, Bureau of Vital Records and Health Statistics (BVRHS), Epidemiology and Response Division, New Mexico Department of Health.
(https://www.nmhealth.org/about/erd/bvrhs/vrp/) - New Mexico Population Estimates: University of New Mexico, Geospatial and Population Studies (GPS) Program.
(http://gps.unm.edu/)
How the Measure is Calculated
| Numerator: | Sum of (age-specific fertility rates in 5-year age groups * 1,000) * 5 |
| Denominator: | Total number of women of reproductive age (15-44 years old) |
How Are We Doing?
The fertility rate in New Mexico has been dropping steadily since 2007, with 2021 marking an all-time low of 1,555. The fertility rate among American Indian/Alaska Native was the highest in the state at 1,764, and White had the lowest at 1,496 (combined 2017-2021).
How Do We Compare With the U.S.?
In 2020, New Mexico ranked 19th lowest in the United States with a fertility rate of 1,610.6. By comparison, District of Columbia had the lowest at 1,270.4 and South Dakota had the highest at 1,984.6 (CDC NEPHT Program Data Explorer, 2023).
Other Objectives
CDC Environmental Public Health Tracking, Nationally Consistent Data and Measures (EPHT NCDM)
Footnote References
CDC National Environmental Public Health Tracking Program Indicator: Total Fertility Rate. https://ephtracking.cdc.gov/indicatorPages CDC National Environmental Public Health Tracking Program Data Explorer [Content Area: Reproductive & Birth Outcomes; Indicator: Total Fertility Rate; Measure: Total Fertility Rate per 1,000 Women; Geography Type: National by State; Geography: All States; Time: 2020; Advanced Options: NA] https://ephtracking.cdc.gov/DataExplorer/