Approximately 82% of all U.S. births occur at term (i.e., at 37--41 weeks of gestation). The infant mortality rate for term infants was highest for American Indian or Alaska Native women (4.59 infant deaths per 1,000 live births), twice the rate for non-Hispanic white women (2.29). The rate for non-Hispanic black women was 3.82, which was 67% higher than for non-Hispanic white women. Rates for Asian or Pacific Islander (1.67) and Hispanic (2.02) women were lower than for non-Hispanic white women.
Source: MacDorman MF, Mathews TJ. Understanding racial and ethnic disparities in U.S. infant mortality rates. NCHS Data Brief no. 74. Hyattsville, MD: US Department of Health and Human Services, CDC, National Center for Health Statistics; 2011. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db74.htm.
Alternate Text: The figure above shows term infant mortality rates, by race/ethnicity in the United States during 2007. Approximately 82% of all U.S. births occur at term (i.e., at 37-41 weeks of gestation). The infant mortality rate for term infants was highest for American Indian or Alaska Native women (4.59 infant deaths per 1,000 live births), twice the rate for non-Hispanic white women (2.29). The rate for non-Hispanic black women was 3.82, which was 67% higher than for non-Hispanic white women. Rates for Asian or Pacific Islander (1.67) and Hispanic (2.02) women were lower than for non-Hispanic white women.