U.S. Census keeps tabs on mothers

Much has changed since Anna Jarvis held the first Mother's Day on May 10, 1908, organizing observances in Grafton, W.Va., and Philadelphia. To convey the role mothers play in American society today, the U.S. Census Bureau has put together a list of some noteworthy motherly statistics from last year:

■ 54 percent of 15- to 44-year-old women were mothers.

■ 82 percent of women 40-44 had given birth, down from 90 percent in 1976.

■ Utah had the highest rate of births per woman at 2.6. Vermont had the lowest at 1.7 births per woman.

■ Of the 4 million births, 409,000 were to teens and 8,000 to mothers ages 45-54.

■ The average age of women giving birth for the first time was 25.1, up from 25.0 in previous years. That reflects the large decline in recent years for births by women under age 25.

■ July was the most popular birth month, and Tuesday was the most popular birth day.

■ Women with a graduate or professional degree have a higher fertility rate than those with any other level of education.

■ America had 5 million stay-at-home mothers, down from 5.1 million in 2009 and 5.3 million in 2008.

■ Stay-at-home moms were more likely to be younger, Hispanic, foreign-born or without a high school diploma.

■ 9.9 million mothers were single and living with children younger than 18, up from 3.4 million in 1970.

■ Of the 4 million women who gave birth in the last year, 1.5 million, or 38 percent, either weren't married or were estranged from their spouses.

Contact reporter Trevon Milliard at tmilliard@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0279.