Highest Ranking County in U.S. and each State based on 
  Birth Rate /1, 1997

[If two or more counties are tied, all counties are 
 listed alphabetically. Independent cities are denoted 
 by IC following "county" name]

U.S. or State           County                              Rate /1
-------------------------------------------------------------------
United States           Wade Hampton, AK                       33.3
Alabama                 Dallas                                 17.9
Alaska                  Wade Hampton                           33.3
Arizona                 Yuma                                   22.3
Arkansas                Mississippi, Phillips                  18.6
California              Tulare                                 19.8
Colorado                Eagle, Morgan                          18.8
Connecticut             Fairfield                              14.9
Delaware                Kent, New Castle                       14.0
Florida                 Hardee, Hendry                         20.9
Georgia                 Atkinson                               25.4
Hawaii                  Kalawao                                26.3
Idaho                   Clark                                  22.6
Illinois                Kane                                   18.3
Indiana                 Lagrange                               20.5
Iowa                    Woodbury                               16.6
Kansas                  Finney                                 25.5
Kentucky                Christian                              20.2
Louisiana               Vernon                                 18.6
Maine                   Cumberland                             12.0
Maryland                Prince George's                        15.2
Massachusetts           Nantucket                              15.0
Michigan                Kent                                   16.6
Minnesota               Scott                                  17.6
Mississippi             Coahoma                                19.4
Missouri                Pemiscot                               19.1
Montana                 Big Horn                               20.0
Nebraska                Thurston                               20.7
Nevada                  Lander                                 18.0
New Hampshire           Hillsborough                           13.8
New Jersey              Essex                                  16.4
New Mexico              McKinley                               20.2
New York                Bronx                                  18.9
North Carolina          Onslow                                 22.8
North Dakota            Sioux                                  24.1
Ohio                    Holmes                                 23.3
Oklahoma                Comanche                               19.9
Oregon                  Jefferson                              18.8
Pennsylvania            Philadelphia                           15.2
Rhode Island            Providence                             13.6
South Carolina          Jasper                                 17.0
South Dakota            Todd                                   26.7
Tennessee               Montgomery                             19.3
Texas                   Webb                                   28.5
Utah                    Utah                                   26.5
Vermont                 Franklin                               13.5
Virginia                Manassas Park IC                       22.7
Washington              Franklin                               21.3
West Virginia           Berkeley                               14.0
Wisconsin               Milwaukee                              15.6
Wyoming                 Uinta                                  17.1

/1 Births per 1,000 resident population estimated as of July 1, 1997.

Source:  U.S. Census Bureau,
         County and City Data Book: 2000,
         Table B-4.