Introduction
Induction of labor rates have been on the rise in the United States for several decades. Birth certificate data show that labor was induced in fewer than 1 in 10 births in 1989 compared with more than 1 in 4 births in 2016 (1−3). Inducing labor by medical or surgical means instead of waiting for the spontaneous onset of labor can help protect maternal and perinatal health by reducing the complications of continuing the pregnancy, but it may also carry risks (4−7). This report describes trends in labor induction among singleton births from 2016 to 2024 and changes in labor induction between 2016 and 2024 by age, race and Hispanic origin of the mother, and gestational age of the newborn.