Births, marriages, divorces, and deaths for June 1997.

Births According to provisional reports, an estimated 323,000 births occurred in the United States during June 1997. This was a 6-percent increase from the provisional number of births reported for June 1996 (304,000). The birth rate, 14.7 live births per 1,000 population, was 5 percent higher than the rate of 14.0 for June 1996. The fertility rate, 65.7 live births per 1,000 women aged 15–44 years, was 6 percent higher than the comparable rate for June 1996 (62.2). The seasonally adjusted fertility rate (64.4) was also 6 percent higher than the comparable rate for June 1996 (61.0). During the first half of 1996, an estimated 1,873,000 births occurred, a 1-percent decrease from the 1,889,000 reported for the first half of 1996. The birth rate for this period decreased by 2 percent000 live births occurred in the 12-month period ending with June 1997, an increase of 1 percent from the 3,853,000 births reported for the same period a year earlier. The birth rate of 14.6 was the same as the rate for the preceding 12-month period. The fertility rate for the most recent 12-month period was 65.1, 1 percent higher than the rate for the 12 months ending with June 1996 (64.7). This combination of a constant birth rate and a higher fertility rate suggests a slowdown of the generally downward trend observed since early 1991. As a result of natural increase, the excess of births over deaths, an estimated 141,000 people, or 6.4 persons per 1,000 population, were added to the population during June 1997. For the 12-month period ending with June 1997, 1,587,000 persons were added to the population. This represented a rate of natural increase of 6.0, 3 percent higher than the rate of 5.8 for the preceding 12-month period. The rise in the rate of natural increase was due to a steady birth rate and a declining death rate. [Rates for infant deaths are deaths under 1 year per 1,000 live births; fertility rates are live births per 1,000 women aged 15–44 years; all other rates are per 1,000 total population. Data are subject to monthly reporting variation; see Technical notes] Item June January–June 12 months ending with June