This report presents data on the numbers of teenage births and teenage birth rates for the United States for the period 1950-97 and state-specific birth rates for teenagers for 1991-96. After increasing sharply in the late 1980s, birth rates declined for American teenagers from 1991 through 1997. Rates fell overall by 16% for teenagers aged 15-17 years and by 11% for teenagers aged 18-19 years. Declines were reported for all race and ethnic origin groups, with the largest declines found for black teenagers, especially those aged 15-17 years. Particularly noteworthy has been the 21% decline in the rate of second birth for teenagers who have had one child. While teenage birth rates vary considerably by state, rates fell in all states in the 1990s, with nearly all declines statistically significant. Rates for black and non-Hispanic teenagers dropped in most states from 1991 to 1996, and the proportion of second and higher order births among all teenage births declined substantially in most states. (Contains 7 tables, 7 figures, and 23 references.) (Author/SLD)