In 1981, information on births of Hispanic parentage was available for 22 States. The completeness of reporting of Hispanic origin continued to increase, with somewhat greater improvements measured for origin of the mother than of the father. The fertility rate of the Hispanic population continued to be very high: 97.5 births per 1,000 women, aged 15-44 years (50 percent higher than the rate for non-Hispanic women. The fertility rate for Mexican women was again highest among various Hispanic groups. Teenage childbearing was relatively more frequent among Hispanic than white non-Hispanic groups and families tend to be larger. Nearly one-quarter of Hispanic-origin births were to unmarried mothers, and only half of all Hispanic mothers in 1981 had completed high school (but in this category, as in the others reported, significant differences existed between various Hispanic groups). Furthermore, in 1981, Hispanic mothers were more likely to receive delayed prenatal care, and more likely to make fewer visits for care than non-Hispanic mothers. However, the incidence of low birth weight among babies born to Hispanic women was generally comparable to that observed for births to white non-Hispanics, and while the percent of Hispanic births attended by midwives was higher than that for non-Hispanic groups, it was still very low (3.6 per cent). (Following the narrative portion of this report, twelve statistical tables and notes on data collection and analysis are presented). (KH)