What does this measure?
The number of babies born with low birth weight (less than 2,500 grams or about 5.5 pounds) expressed as a percentage of all live births.
Why is this important?
Low birth weight is a leading predictor of neonatal death. Low birth-weight infants are also more likely than normal birth-weight infants to experience long-term developmental and neurological disabilities. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that maternal smoking is the cause of 20% to 30% of all low-weight births in the United States.
How is our region performing?
In 2019, 8.4% of babies in the 9-county region had low birth weights, similar to state and national rates. Wyoming (9.6%), Monroe (9.3%), and Seneca (8.3%) counties had the highest rates in the region in 2019. The lowest rates were in Yates and Orleans counties at 3.9% and 5.4% respectively. The City of Rochester consistently had the highest rates of low birth-weight babies in the region, and had a rate of 13.6% in 2019, the highest level since 2000.
Notes about the data
Rates based upon small numbers in some of the geographies can vary widely, making it difficult to distinguish true changes from random fluctuations.
| 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NYS | 7.7% | 7.7% | 7.9% | 7.9% | 8.2% | 8.3% | 8.3% | 8.1% | 8.2% | 8.2% | 8.2% | 8.1% | 7.9% | 7.9% | 7.8% | 7.8% | 7.9% | 8.1% | 8.0% | 8.0% |
| NYS (excluding NYC) | 7.3% | 7.0% | 7.5% | 7.4% | 7.6% | 7.7% | 7.9% | 7.7% | 7.6% | 7.7% | 7.7% | 7.8% | 7.5% | 7.5% | 7.7% | 7.5% | 7.6% | 7.7% | 7.7% | 7.7% |
| Region | 7.1% | 6.3% | 7.2% | 6.8% | 7.3% | 7.9% | 7.9% | 7.5% | 7.1% | 7.7% | 7.9% | 7.8% | 7.9% | 7.4% | 7.8% | 7.6% | 7.5% | 8.2% | 8.1% | 8.4% |
| Monroe | 7.7% | 6.9% | 7.7% | 7.4% | 7.7% | 8.5% | 8.5% | 8.0% | 8.1% | 8.6% | 8.5% | 8.4% | 8.7% | 8.1% | 8.3% | 8.2% | 8.2% | 9.3% | 8.8% | 9.3% |
| Surrounding Counties | 6.1% | 5.2% | 6.2% | 5.9% | 6.6% | 6.8% | 6.6% | 6.5% | 5.5% | 6.2% | 6.7% | 6.6% | 6.4% | 6.1% | 6.7% | 6.6% | 6.2% | 6.3% | 7.0% | 6.9% |
| Genesee | 5.8% | 3.7% | 5.6% | 6.2% | 5.9% | 7.6% | 7.8% | 6.3% | 4.9% | 6.7% | 6.5% | 4.9% | 5.8% | 6.0% | 6.0% | 6.2% | 5.5% | 6.7% | 6.9% | 7.0% |
| Livingston | 5.7% | 4.5% | 6.5% | 5.1% | 5.0% | 7.5% | 6.8% | 6.0% | 5.4% | 5.7% | 6.7% | 5.0% | 6.8% | 4.6% | 4.2% | 6.6% | 7.4% | 5.8% | 7.5% | 6.5% |
| Ontario | 6.4% | 4.6% | 6.6% | 5.9% | 5.9% | 6.5% | 6.5% | 7.1% | 5.3% | 5.6% | 7.6% | 7.9% | 6.2% | 6.7% | 7.6% | 6.1% | 5.3% | 6.7% | 7.7% | 6.9% |
| Orleans | 6.4% | 8.4% | 7.4% | 5.4% | 5.5% | 9.0% | 5.4% | 9.4% | 7.2% | 7.9% | 7.4% | 5.8% | 5.7% | 7.2% | 9.8% | 7.3% | 5.9% | 7.3% | 7.5% | 5.4% |
| Seneca | 6.6% | 5.4% | 7.0% | 7.2% | 8.9% | 6.7% | 6.0% | 7.5% | 2.9% | 5.1% | 4.3% | 7.5% | 8.6% | 6.1% | 5.9% | 5.7% | 6.0% | 3.5% | 7.5% | 8.3% |
| Wayne | 5.8% | 5.5% | 6.1% | 7.1% | 8.5% | 5.2% | 7.5% | 5.8% | 7.4% | 7.2% | 7.1% | 6.8% | 6.3% | 7.5% | 7.2% | 8.0% | 7.2% | 7.5% | 6.0% | 7.2% |
| Wyoming | 5.8% | 3.7% | 5.4% | 3.5% | 6.3% | 7.2% | 4.9% | 5.1% | 4.6% | 4.5% | 5.3% | 7.5% | 7.7% | 3.6% | 6.4% | 5.7% | 6.5% | 5.5% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Yates | 6.6% | 7.5% | 3.2% | 4.3% | 6.3% | 6.3% | 6.4% | 4.8% | 2.8% | 5.1% | 6.4% | 6.6% | 4.3% | 4.3% | 4.9% | 5.3% | 5.2% | 4.1% | 3.8% | 3.9% |
| Monroe County Local Areas | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Regional Cities | ||||||||||||||||||||
Notes: The benchmark for low birth weight is 2500 grams, or about 5.5 pounds.
| 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NYS | 20,020 | 19,504 | 19,860 | 19,972 | 20,402 | 20,392 | 20,759 | 20,560 | 20,471 | 20,226 | 19,910 | 19,417 | 18,935 | 18,670 | 18,644 | 18,419 | 18,394 | 18,423 | 18,115 | 17,745 |
| NYS (excluding NYC) | 10,086 | 9,390 | 9,900 | 9,822 | 9,910 | 9,933 | 10,238 | 10,005 | 9,752 | 9,640 | 9,495 | 9,409 | 9,069 | 8,972 | 9,260 | 8,965 | 9,043 | 9,078 | 8,991 | 8,947 |
| Region | 1,048 | 885 | 1,004 | 960 | 979 | 1,059 | 1,097 | 1,025 | 972 | 1,044 | 1,043 | 1,019 | 1,011 | 960 | 1,014 | 974 | 933 | 1,007 | 1,000 | 1,038 |
| Monroe | 727 | 619 | 688 | 660 | 655 | 722 | 759 | 694 | 702 | 740 | 725 | 707 | 720 | 680 | 700 | 673 | 657 | 731 | 684 | 733 |
| Surrounding Counties | 321 | 266 | 316 | 300 | 324 | 337 | 338 | 331 | 270 | 304 | 318 | 312 | 291 | 280 | 314 | 301 | 276 | 276 | 316 | 305 |
| Genesee | 40 | 26 | 36 | 39 | 37 | 52 | 49 | 45 | 31 | 44 | 42 | 29 | 35 | 34 | 37 | 35 | 32 | 37 | 40 | 39 |
| Livingston | 38 | 29 | 43 | 32 | 32 | 47 | 44 | 36 | 32 | 33 | 38 | 29 | 34 | 24 | 22 | 34 | 39 | 29 | 37 | 36 |
| Ontario | 74 | 53 | 75 | 68 | 63 | 71 | 74 | 80 | 59 | 59 | 79 | 81 | 65 | 69 | 82 | 63 | 52 | 65 | 75 | 67 |
| Orleans | 34 | 39 | 36 | 25 | 25 | 38 | 25 | 42 | 30 | 35 | 32 | 24 | 23 | 30 | 41 | 33 | 24 | 30 | 26 | 23 |
| Seneca | 24 | 20 | 26 | 27 | 30 | 25 | 22 | 29 | 11 | 19 | 17 | 30 | 30 | 24 | 23 | 21 | 21 | 12 | 30 | 30 |
| Wayne | 68 | 60 | 67 | 81 | 95 | 55 | 85 | 62 | 81 | 77 | 69 | 70 | 61 | 72 | 70 | 77 | 66 | 71 | 59 | 64 |
| Wyoming | 25 | 16 | 24 | 15 | 27 | 30 | 19 | 22 | 18 | 19 | 21 | 29 | 29 | 14 | 25 | 21 | 26 | 19 | 36 | 34 |
| Yates | 18 | 23 | 9 | 13 | 15 | 19 | 20 | 15 | 8 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 17 | 16 | 13 | 13 | 12 |
| Monroe County Local Areas | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Regional Cities | ||||||||||||||||||||
Notes: The benchmark for low birth weight is 2500 grams, or about 5.5 pounds.
Worse than NYS by 10% or more
Up to 10% worse than NYS
Equal to or better than NYS| INDICATORS - Grouped by Topic | REGIONAL VALUE | YEAR | NYS COMPARISON | TREND | REGION |
|---|
Worse than NYS by 10% or more Up to 10% worse than NYS Equal to or better than NYS
Children & Youth
Community Vitality
Demographics
Economic Security
Economy
Education
Health
Housing
Public Safety
