Nearly 1 in 10 infants were admitted to a neonatal ICU in 2023 — a 13% increase since 2016, according to CDC data.
National birth certificate data on NICU admissions have been available since 2016, the report said. The percentage of infants admitted to a neonatal ICU increased from 8.7% in 2016 to 9.8% in 2023.
These admission rates increased across all races and ethnicities, maternal age groups, gestational age and birthweight categories.
The largest increases in NICU admissions were among infants born to non-Hispanic Black, white, American Indian and Alaska Native mothers. Among maternal age groups, infants born to mothers ages 20 to 29 were least likely to be admitted, while infants born to mothers ages 40 or older were most likely to be admitted, both in 2016 (12.5%) and 2023 (13.6%).
NICU rates increased by 4% among infants delivered late or post term, 5% among preterm infants and 9% among full-term infants. Preterm and low-birthweight infants were seven times more likely to be admitted than other infants, according to the report.
Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi and New Hampshire also reported higher NICU admission rates, with increases ranging from 31% to 37%.
Read the report here.