KNOXVILLE, TN (Story Courtesy of WVLT) – Tennessee’s maternal mortality rate has slightly risen, according to the latest March of Dimes report card.
The report lists the rate per 100,000 births was 42.1. That’s up from 41.1 in the 2024 report and up from 41.7 in the 2023 report. The report tracks how many moms died from complications of pregnancy or childbirth during the pregnancy or within six weeks after the pregnancy ends.
Tennessee’s rate of 42.1 is about 80% higher than the US rate of 23.5. The report stated Tennessee ranks 48th out of 48 for maternal mortality.
The report also tracks infant mortality and preterm births. In the 2025 report, the March of Dimes stated Tennessee had an infant mortality rate of 6.5 in 2023. That’s 538 babies who died before their first birthday.
This year Tennessee did get a slightly higher preterm birth grade from the March of Dimes. The organization gave the state a “D” grade in this report, up from a “D-” in the 2024 report.
Some of the factors that go into that grade include the preterm birth rate. The report stated the rate has remained mostly steady the past few years from 11.0 in 2022 to 11.3 in 2023 and now 10.9 for 2024. According to the report, 9,127 babies were born premature in Tennessee in 2024, ranking the state at 34th out of 52; that ranking includes all 50 states, Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico.
“I think the thing overall that jumps out to me is the fact that we as a nation and in Tennessee, we remain stuck,” Warren said. “And so we’ve got our work cut out for us. We know what we need to do. We just need to double down and do it. And we want to make sure that every mom is healthy and every baby has a healthy.”
Even though Tennessee is in a tough spot, Warren said he has an optimistic outlook.
“We’re in a patch right now where we’re not making those improvements as quickly as we would like,” he said. “But we know it can happen. I know the volunteer state can do hard things. And so we are excited to be able to continue to work with partners in Tennessee to make sure that every mom is healthy and every baby has a healthy start.”
- Medicaid extension
- Medicaid expansion
- Doula reimbursement
- Paid family leave
- Mental health
- Maternal mortality review
The report said the state has two of the recommended programs or policies: extended Medicaid coverage for women to one year postpartum and a maternal mortality review committee to understand the causes of these deaths and recommend changes to save moms’ lives.
Please go to https://www.marchofdimes.org/peristats/reports/tennessee/report-card to view the report.
March of DImes Mom and Baby photo (courtesy of their website)
