Texas received a grade of "D" in the annual report card on maternal and infant health outcomes from the national nonprofit March of Dimes.

The state's low rating reflects its high pre-term birthrate: 11.1% of babies in Texas were born prematurely in 2024, a trend that remained flat from 2023. The United States, which earned a D-plus overall, saw a 10.4% pre-term birth rate.

March of Dimes announced a targeted effort to improve Texas' pre-term birth rate earlier this month. Pre-term births are associated with higher infant mortality rates, developmental delays and other health risks.

In Texas, there was disparity between different demographics within this metric. White and Asian mothers, for instance, saw rates below 10%, whereas Black mothers experienced pre-term birth rates of ne

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