The effect of minimum wages on adolescent fertility: A nationwide analysis

L.R. Bullinger

American Journal of Public Health, 2017, vol. 107, issue 3, 447-452

Abstract: Objectives. To investigate the effect of minimum wage laws on adolescent birth rates in the United States. Methods. I used a difference-in-differences approach and vital statistics data measured quarterly at the state level from 2003 to 2014. All models included state covariates, state and quarter-year fixed effects, and state-specific quarter-year nonlinear time trends, which provided plausibly causal estimates of the effect of minimum wage on adolescent birth rates. Results. A $1 increase in minimum wage reduces adolescent birth rates by about 2%. The effects are driven by non-Hispanic White and Hispanic adolescents. Conclusions. Nationwide, increasing minimum wages by $1 would likely result in roughly 5000 fewer adolescent births annually.

Date: 2017
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:aph:ajpbhl:10.2105/ajph.2016.303604_9

DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2016.303604

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