A survey of women who obtained an abortion in the United States between June 2021 and July 2022 found that 26 percent were Hispanic, while 33 percent were white. This statistic shows the distribution of women in the U.S. who obtained an abortion from June 2021 to July 2022, by race/ethnicity.

The ethnic and racial distribution of legal abortions in the United States varies greatly by state. For example, in Idaho non-Hispanic white women accounted for 66 percent of all legal abortions in 2022, whereas only 19 percent of abortions in Mississippi were among white women. Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022 many states, such as Mississippi, have made abortion illegal with limited exceptions. Which states have the most abortions? In 2022, the states with the highest total number of legal abortions were Florida, New York, and Illinois. That year, there were around 82,581 legal abortions in the state of Florida. Florida also had the fourth-highest rate of legal abortion per 100,000 women, with New Mexico reporting the highest rate. The states with the lowest rates of abortion that year were Missouri and South Dakota. Out-of-state abortions As many states have banned or restricted abortion since the overturning of Roe v. Wade, it is likely that more women will now have to travel out of state if they would like to receive an abortion. Even before the overturning of Roe v. Wade, a significant percentage of abortions in many states were performed on out-of-state residents. In 2022, around 69 percent of legal abortions in Kansas were performed on out-of-state residents, while out-of-state residents accounted for 62 percent of abortions in New Mexico. At that time, Illinois was the state with the highest total number of abortions performed on out-of-state residents, with around 16,849 such procedures.

In 2023, 80 percent of White American adults surveyed believed that abortion should be legal if the patient's life is endangered. The majority of Americans among all racial groups, supported the legalization of abortion under selected circumstances. On the other hand, no more than one in ten respondents among all racial groups believed that abortion should not be legal in the U.S., regardless of the circumstance.

In 2022, around 39 percent of legal abortions reported in the state of Texas were among Hispanics, while Black women accounted for 30 percent and white women 26 percent. Abortion has long been a controversial topic in the United States, with the issue once again becoming a major topic in 2022 when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, allowing individual states to completely ban abortion if they so choose. Abortion in Texas In 2022, there were around 17,500 legal abortions reported in Texas, the eleventh highest number among all U.S. states. This was a large drop from the year prior, when Texas had the third-highest number of abortions in the United States. Concerning the rate of abortion per 100,000 population, Texas was ranked 42nd, with just 2.8 abortions per 100,000 population. In comparison, in Florida that year there were 20.5 abortions per 100,000 population, the fourth-highest rate among the states. Texas was one of a number of states with a so-called “trigger law”, which, in response to the Supreme Court decision in 2022, automatically banned abortions in all cases except to save the life of the mother. Under the new law, performing an abortion is a felony, punishable by up to life in prison. Public opinion Opinions in the United States on abortion are often divided between those who are “pro-choice” and those who are “pro-life”. Polls have shown that the share of those who identify with each side has fluctuated over the years, but a survey from 2023 found that around 52 percent of adults considered themselves pro-choice, while 44 percent were pro-life. Younger people more often believe abortion should be legal under any circumstance than older people, but only a minority across the age groups believe abortion should be illegal in all circumstances. In fact, despite several states, such as Texas, completely banning abortion, a survey from 2023 found that 55 percent of U.S. adults believed abortion should be permitted either whenever a woman decides to or under given circumstances.

In a 2024 survey, around 21 percent of Black women in the United States reported having had an abortion. In comparison, only 11 percent of surveyed Asian/Pacific Islander and white women had gotten an abortion after becoming pregnant.

As of May 2023, some 41 percent of White evangelical Protestant adults were of the opinion that mifepristone in the U.S. should be taken off the market. However, across all races and religious groups, the majority of respondents maintained that access to mifepristone should remain in the U.S. in 2023. More than half of all U.S. abortions are medical abortions performed by combining mifepristone with misoprostol.

The IPUMS Contextual Determinants of Health (CDOH) data series includes measures of disparities, policies, and counts, by state or county, for historically marginalized populations in the United States including Black, Asian, Hispanic/Latina/o/e/x, and LGBTQ+ persons, and women. The IPUMS CDOH data are made available through ICPSR/DSDR for merging with the National Couples' Health and Time Study (NCHAT), United States, 2020-2021 (ICPSR 38417) by approved restricted data researchers. All other researchers can access the IPUMS CDOH data via the IPUMS CDOH website. Unlike other IPUMS products, the CDOH data are organized into multiple categories related to Race and Ethnicity, Sexual and Gender Minority, Gender, and Politics. The CDOH measures were created from a wide variety of data sources (e.g., IPUMS NHGIS, the Census Bureau, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Movement Advancement Project, and Myers Abortion Facility Database). Measures are currently available for states or counties from approximately 2015 to 2020. The Gender measures in this release include state-level abortion access, which reports the proportion of a state's females aged 15-44 who reside in counties with an abortion provider by year and month from 2009-2022. To work with the IPUMS CDOH data, researchers will need to first merge the NCHAT data to DS1 (MATCH ID and State FIPS Data). This merged file can then be linked to the IPUMS CDOH datafile (DS2) using the STATEFIPS variable.

This statistic shows the reported number of abortions among adolescent women aged 15 to 19 years in the U.S. in 2016, by ethnicity. In that year there were 11,033 reported abortions among non-Hispanic white adolescent women.

The rate of legal abortions in the United States has decreased over the last few decades. In 2022, there were around 19.9 legal abortions per 100 live births, whereas the rate was 34 abortions per 100 live births in the year 1990. Since the overturning of Roe v. Wade by the Supreme Court in 2022, states within the U.S. have the right to severely limit or completely ban abortion if they wish, meaning that access to such procedures varies significantly depending on the state or region. Abortion in the U.S. In 2022, there were over 613,000 legal abortions in the United States. Abortion rates in the U.S. are highest among women aged 25 to 29 years and more common among unmarried women than those who are married. In 2022, there were approximately 38 legal abortions per 100 live births among unmarried women compared to four abortions per 100 live births among women who were married.
Public opinion The issue of abortion has been and remains a divisive topic among the general public and continues to be a relevant political issue. As of May 2023, around 44 percent of the population was estimated to be pro-life, while 52 percent were pro-choice and three percent mixed or neither. However, this distribution has fluctuated over the years, with pro-lifers accounting for a larger percentage than pro-choicers as recently as 2019.

In 2022, there were around 613 thousand legal abortions in the United States. The number of legal abortions in the United States has decreased significantly since the early 1990’s. This number will probably continue to decrease in the coming years since many states have severely limited or completely banned abortion after the overturning of Roe v. Wade by the Supreme Court in 2022. The states with the highest abortion rates In 2022, the rate of legal abortions per live births in the United States was 19.9 per 100. In comparison, in 1990 there were 34.4 abortions per 100 live births. The states with the highest rates of abortion per live births are New Mexico, Illinois, and Florida. In Florida, there were around 37 abortions per 100 live births in 2022. Florida had the highest total number of abortions that year, followed by New York and Illinois. Missouri and South Dakota had the lowest number of abortions in 2022. Out-of-state abortions Critics of the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade argue that while those who can afford it may be able to travel to other states for an abortion if their state bans the procedure, poorer residents will have no such choice. Even before the overturning of Roe v. Wade, out-of-state residents already accounted for a high share of abortions in certain states. In 2022, 69 percent of abortions in Kansas were performed on out-of-state residents, while out-of-state residents accounted for around 62 percent of abortions in New Mexico. Illinois had the highest total number of abortions performed on out-of-state residents that year, with around 16,849 procedures.

The IPUMS Contextual Determinants of Health (CDOH) data series includes measures of disparities, policies, and counts, by state or county, for historically marginalized populations in the United States including Black, Asian, Hispanic/Latina/o/e/x, and LGBTQ+ persons, and women. The IPUMS CDOH data are made available through ICPSR/DSDR for merging with the National Couples' Health and Time Study (NCHAT), United States, 2020-2021 (ICPSR 38417) by approved restricted data researchers. All other researchers can access the IPUMS CDOH data via the IPUMS CDOH website. Unlike other IPUMS products, the CDOH data are organized into multiple categories related to Race and Ethnicity, Sexual and Gender Minority, Gender, and Politics. The CDOH measures were created from a wide variety of data sources (e.g., IPUMS NHGIS, the Census Bureau, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Movement Advancement Project, and Myers Abortion Facility Database). Measures are currently available for states or counties from approximately 2015 to 2020. The Gender measures in this release include the state-level poverty ratio, which compares the proportion of females living in poverty to the proportion of males living in poverty in a given state in a given year. To work with the IPUMS CDOH data, researchers will need to first merge the NCHAT data to DS1 (MATCH ID and State FIPS Data). This merged file can then be linked to the IPUMS CDOH datafile (DS2) using the STATEFIPS variable.

This data collection provides information on party activist involvement in the presidential nomination process. Surveys of caucus attendees and convention delegates were initially conducted in 1980 at the state conventions in Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Maine, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, and Virginia. Delegates from both parties were polled on a variety of issues, including their opinions on candidate qualities, such as record of achievement, moral character, performance on television, knowledge of foreign policy, and most important quality for a candidate. In addition, information was gathered on the party position held by the respondent, degree and type of party participation, opinions on state and national leaders, reasons for being involved in the presidential nomination process, choice for presidential candidate, and membership in other organizations. In 1984, surveys were distributed at the Democratic state conventions in Iowa and Virginia. In 1988, delegates to both the Democratic and Republican state conventions in Iowa and Virginia were polled. Caucus attendees of both parties also completed surveys in 1984 and 1988 in Iowa, Michigan, and Virginia. Other areas of inquiry included attitudes toward the Equal Rights Amendment, abortion, affirmative action, and military spending. Demographic characteristics of respondents, such as religion, ethnicity, education, employment, and income, are provided. In 1992, surveys were distributed to both Democratic and Republican state conventions in Iowa and Virginia. Areas of inquiry included attitudes toward abortion, affirmative action, the federal budget, a national health plan, foreign imports, the environment, United States involvement around the world, congressional term limits, the gasoline tax, homosexuals in the military, taxes, and the death penalty. Respondents were also asked to evaluate each of the candidates on some of these issues. In addition, data were collected regarding party position held by the respondent, degree and type of party participation, opinions on national leaders, nomination choice for presidential candidate, and membership in other organizations. Demographic characteristics of respondents, such as age, sex, religion, income, children, education, race, and military experience, are provided. In 1996, surveys were distributed before the election to both Democratic and Republican state conventions in Iowa and Virginia. Areas of inquiry included involvement in the presidential campaign, voting record, activities performed in 1994 campaigns, party affiliation, and opinions on such issues as abortion, United States involvement around the world, the federal budget, the environment, foreign imports, affirmative action, term limits, a national health plan, control of domestic programs, firearms, and income tax. Respondents were also asked to evaluate candidates on some of these issues. In addition, respondents were asked to rate the job performance of Bill Clinton, the economy, the political philosophy of the candidates, the candidates' performances on TV, and third party candidates. Demographic characteristics of respondents, such as education, age, sex, race, income, and religion, are provided. In 1996, surveys were distributed after the election to both Democratic and Republican state conventions in Iowa and Virginia. Areas of inquiry included voting record in the 1996 election, activities performed in the nomination campaigns for president, money contributed to political organizations, involvement in the 1996 presidential campaign and reasons for involvement, party affiliation, and opinions on such issues as abortion, United States involvement around the world, the federal budget, foreign imports, affirmative action, term limits, a national health plan, control of domestic programs, firearms, and immigration. Respondents were also asked to evaluate candidates on some of these issues. In addition, respondents were asked to give their opinions on the economy, the Reform Party, party positions held, and membership in other organizations. Demographic characteristics of respondents, such as education, age, sex, race, income, and religion, are provided.

In a 2024 survey, around 67 percent of women aged 18 to 49 in the United States reported having heard of medication abortion. Almost three in four white women were familiar with medication abortions, higher than women from any other racial/ethnic background.

Abortion remains a controversial topic in the United States and has been an exceptionally political topic since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. This ruling has allowed individual states to completely ban the procedure if they choose, which a number of states have since done. In 2022, the year of the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the highest rates of legal abortion in the United States were among women aged 25 to 29 years, with around 18.7 abortions per 1,000 women. How many abortions are there in the United States each year? In 2022, there were an estimated 613,000 legal abortions in the United States. This was a decrease from the year before, and in general, the number of legal abortions per year in the U.S. has decreased since the late 1990s. The rate of abortion has also decreased significantly. In 1997, the rate of legal abortions per 100 live births was 30.6, but this had dropped to 19.9 per 100 live births by the year 2022. At that time, the states with the highest rates of abortion were New Mexico, Illinois, and Kansas. Public opinion on abortion As of 2023, around 52 percent of U.S. adults considered themselves pro-choice, while 44 percent were pro-life. However, these numbers have fluctuated over the years, with a larger share of people identifying as pro-life just four years earlier. Nevertheless, a poll from 2024 showed that only a small minority of U.S. adults want abortion to be illegal in all cases, with younger people more likely to support the legalization of abortion in any circumstance. Furthermore, surveys have shown that since the overturning of Roe v. Wade, U.S. adults have expressed being much more dissatisfied with abortion policy in the country, desiring less strict policy.

In 2022, the states with the highest rates of abortion per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44 years in the United States were New Mexico, Illinois, and Kansas. The states with the lowest rates of abortion were Missouri and South Dakota. Abortion differences among the states In 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade allowing states to restrict the practice of abortion or outright ban it completely. A number of states immediately banned the procedure through trigger laws they had in place in anticipation of the ruling. Even before the ruling, abortion accessibility and rates varied greatly from state to state, but this difference has become even more pronounced. For example, in 2022, Florida had an abortion rate of 20.5 per 1,000 women, while the rate in Missouri was just .1. Florida had the highest total number of abortions that year, followed by New York and Illinois. While Florida reported around 82,581 abortions in 2022, there were just 88 such procedures in Missouri. Public opinion on abortion In the United States, the debate surrounding abortion is often divided among those who are “pro-life” and think abortion should be restricted or banned and those who are “pro-choice” and believe the decision to abort a pregnancy should be up to the woman. Gallup polls show the distribution of people in the United States who are pro-life or pro-choice has fluctuated over the years but in 2023 around 52 percent of respondents stated they were pro-choice while 44 percent said they were pro-life. Older respondents are more likely to express views limiting access to abortion, while younger people are more likely to believe abortion should be legal under any circumstance. However, just a small minority of people of all ages believe abortion should be illegal in all circumstances.

In a 2024 survey, around eight percent of women aged 18 to 49 in the United States reported knowing someone, including themselves, who had difficulty getting an abortion since the overturning of Roe v. Wade by the U.S. Supreme Court. Around eleven percent of surveyed Hispanic women said they knew someone who had difficulty getting an abortion, the highest among all racial/ethnic groups.

In 2022, there were around 38 legal abortions per 100 live births among unmarried women in the United States. In comparison, the rate of abortion per live births among married women was around four per 100. The abortion rates for both married and unmarried women in the United States have decreased over the last few decades. Abortion statistics in the United States In 2022, the overall rate of abortion in the United States per 100 live births was 19.9. Abortion in the U.S. is most common among women aged 25 to 29 years, with around 19 abortions per 1,000 women in this age group. The most common method of abortion in 2022 was medical abortion with a gestation of nine weeks or less, followed by surgical abortion with a gestation of 13 weeks or less. Medical abortion involves taking prescription medication to end the pregnancy, while surgical abortion involves a surgical procedure. The two main types of surgical abortion are vacuum aspiration and dilation and evacuation (D&E). Abortion-related deaths in the United States are very rare, with only five such deaths reported in 2021. Abortion among adolescents In 2022, the abortion rate among adolescent women in the United States aged 15 to 19 years was 5.4 per 1,000 population. In comparison, in 2013, this rate was 8.2 per 1,000 women. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the abortion rate among adolescent women increases with age. In 2022, those aged 19 years had the highest rate of abortion among teenagers. The majority of abortions performed on adolescent women are done in week nine or less of gestation. In 2022, there were around 24,626 abortions performed on adolescent women in week nine or less of gestation, while 9,313 abortion procedures were carried out after week nine of gestation.

In a 2024 survey, around 41 percent of Asian or Pacific Islander women aged 18 to 49 in the United States reported being very concerned that they or someone close to them would not be able to get an abortion if it was needed to preserve their life or health. In total, more than six in ten women from all racial/ethnic groups were at least somewhat concerned about not being able to get an abortion if it was needed to preserve their life or health.

A survey of women who obtained an abortion in the United States between June 2021 and July 2022 found that almost 42 percent of women who received an abortion at that time had a family income less than 100 percent of the federal poverty level. This statistic shows the distribution of women in the U.S. who obtained an abortion from June 2021 to July 2022, by family income as a percent of the federal poverty level.

A survey of women who obtained an abortion in the United States between June 2021 and July 2022 found that 38 percent had an associates degree or at least some college education. This statistic shows the distribution of women in the U.S. who obtained an abortion from June 2021 to July 2022, by education level.