Explore the Data

Low Birth Weight

Lancaster County has a low rate of low birth weight infants

Children who are born at a low birth weight (less than 5 pounds, 8 ounces) have an increased risk of long-term disability and impaired development.¹⁰ Low birth weight may indicate inadequate prenatal care.¹⁰

• Lancaster County has a lower percentage of children who are born at a low birth weight than the U.S. In 2022, 5.7% of children were born at a low birth weight in Lancaster County, compared to the 7.9% of children who were born at a low birth weight in the U.S.
• Rates of low birth weight have decreased both nationally and in Lancaster County since 2019.

Notes

National data from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Vital Statistics System. Local data from Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department, Online Vital Statistics Reporting System.

Footnotes

10. Cutland, C., Lackritz, E., Mallett-Moore, T., Bardaji, A., Chandrasekaran, R., Lahariya, C., Imran Nisar, M., Tapia, M., Pathirana, J., Kochhar, S. & Muñoz, F. (2017). Low birth weight: Case definition & guidelines for data collection, analysis, and presentation of maternal immunization safety data. Vaccine, 35(48), 6492-6500.