Milwaukee Business Community Says High Teen Birth Rate Hurts Economy

With a teen birth rate reaching 17 percent of all births, Milwaukee is in the top ten of the nation's 50 largest cities in teenage pregnancy rates. This ranks Milwaukee ahead of Atlanta, Chicago, Kansas City, and Los Angeles -- among others -- and is impacting the city's provision of education, workforce development, and community services.

According to a top Milwaukee economic official, "The city's teen birth rate hurts Milwaukee in competing with other cities to recruit new businesses...A metropolitan area's teen birth rate is a leading indicator of work force development, social service costs, poverty and crime and is asked about by business executives."

In recent months, Milwaukee's business community has begun to take notice of the issue. "Business leaders participated as focus groups in a study of the issue released in March by the United Way of Greater Milwaukee. The United Way has formed a steering committee and is recruiting community members -- including additional business representatives -- to find possible solutions to the city's problem of children having children."

Employers also link the teen-birth issue to Milwaukee's employer health care costs, which are some of the highest in the Midwest.