Perinatal Health Data Dashboard
Low Birth Weight Overview
Perinatal Health Data Homepage
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Interactive data on low birth weight
Data over time
By race/ethnicity and foreign-born
Resources
Low birth weight is when a baby is born at a weight of less than 5 pounds, 8 ounces (2,500 grams). Most babies are born at a weight between 5 pounds, 8 ounces and 8 pounds, 8 ounces (2,500 grams and 4,000 grams). There are many reasons why babies may have low birth weight, common ones are: 1) they are born too early (less than 37 weeks of pregnancy); and 2) there are health concerns with the mom or the baby that affect growth.
Not all babies born at low birth weight have health problems. Some babies born at a low birth weight will have health problems at birth, later in life, or both. Problems at or near the time of birth are breathing problems, infections, jaundice, and even sudden, unexpected infant death. Problems later in life are chronic diseases and growth problems.
Data over time
The percent of Minnesota babies born at low birth weight went up by 4% from 2019 to 2023.
Source: Minnesota resident final birth file, 2019-2023
Download: The percent of Minnesota babies born at low birth weight by year, 2019-2023 (CSV).
• Minnesota: In 2023, 7.2% of babies were born at low birth weight. This is about seven out of 100 babies.
• United States: In 2023, 8.6% of babies were born at low birth weight, which is about nine out of 100 babies.
By race/ethnicity and foreign-born
Some Minnesotans are more likely to have a baby born at low birth weight. While Black mothers/birthing parents had the highest rates of a baby born at low birth weight in Minnesota overall, it was not the same for all Black people. Black mothers/birthing parents born in the United States had two times as many babies born at low birth weight than Black mothers/birthing parents born outside of the U.S. (foreign-born).
United States-born Black mothers/birthing parents experienced the highest rates of low birth weight babies in Minnesota, from 2019 to 2023.
Source: Minnesota resident final birth file, 2019-2023
From 2019 to 2023, among Black mothers/birthing parents who were:
• U.S.-Born: 16.4% of babies were born at low birth weight. This is about 16 out of 100 babies.
• Born outside of the U.S. (foreign-born): 7.9% of babies were born at low birth weight. This is about eight out of 100 babies.
Resources
See more by going to the interactive data.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. National Vital Statistics System, Natality on CDC WONDER Online Database. Data are from the Natality Records 2016-2024, as compiled from data provided by the 57 vital statistics jurisdictions through the Vital Statistics Cooperative Program. Accessed at CDC: National Vital Statistics System, Natality on CDC WONDER Online Database on Jan 7, 2026 2:19:55 PM
March of Dimes (2021, June). Low birthweight. Retrieved January 7, 2026, from Low birthweight | March of Dimes