The Auburn Montgomery Center for Demographic research has good news for the overall population of Alabama in regards to the infant mortality rate— it declined slightly from 9.5 percent of every 1,000 live births to 8.7 percent. The bad news is the research still shows, “large racial disparities in infant mortality in Alabama.”

The statistics they gathered vary by county though at the state level, according to a media release statement by AUM Center for Demographic Research, infants born to black and other minority women are nearly 100 times more likely to die before their first birthday as compared to those born to white women.

Each county in the Black Belt region broke down differently.

In Dallas County, the infant mortality rate decreased severely from 13.5 percent in 2008 to 6.5 percent in 2010 and while there were 10 infant deaths in the county in 2008, that number climbed down to only 4 deaths in 2010.

However, like the state level statistics on race and infant mortality that seems to affect Dallas County — the infant mortality rate for white and Caucasian babies was 0 percent, and for blacks and minorities the mortality rate was 8.2 percent.

The white and Caucasion statistic drastically changed from 2008 when the mortality rate for white babies in Dallas County was 31.4 percent while the black and minority rate stayed similar.

Marengo County had a large increase in the infant mortality rate with a 3.4 percent rate in 2008 spiking up to 8.8 percent in 2010. The statistics for blacks and minorities versus white babies were similar. The infant mortality rate for white babies was 10.4 percent and black and minority babies had a 7.6 percent rate.

The Perry County infant mortality rate drastically decreased from 2008 to 2010 and went from 19.1 percent rate to 8 percent. The black and minority infant rate of mortality dropped from 22.7 percent in 2008 to 9.2 percent in 2010.

Wilcox County had a 0 percent infant mortality rate for both 2008 and 2010.

Researchers at AUM also found in this study that there was a statewide “increase of out-of-wedlock births and declining marriage rates.”

Today 41.9 percent of all Alabama children were born out-of-wedlock.