The number of babies born to U.S. women of all ages dropped by one percent in 2002 compared to 2001. The yearly total of new arrivals was a little more than 4 million.

The birth rate in 2002 was 13.9 per 1,000 persons -- an all-time low for as long as national birth records have been kept -- according to the CDC. Overall, the birth rate is down 17 percent since 1990.

Teen birth rates are also down, falling by five percent from levels recorded in 2001 to 43 births per 1,000 females between ages 15 to 19 in 2002. Teen pregnancies have dropped 28 percent since 1990, the agency reported.

"The reduction in teen pregnancy has clearly been one of the most important public health success stories of the past decade," U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (news - web sites) Secretary Tommy G. Thompson said in a statement.

"The fact that this decline in teen births is continuing represents a significant accomplishment," he added.

In other findings, the CDC noted that the rate of cesarean deliveries has reached an all-time high, with C-sections accounting for 26.1 percent of all deliveries.