Preterm birth rates improved in almost every state between 2006 and 2009, according to the March of Dimes 2011 Premature Birth Report Card. The United States received a “C” based on comparing the nation’s 2009 preliminary preterm birth rate of 12.2 percent with the March of Dimes new 2020 goal of 9.6 percent of all live births. The nation’s preterm birth rate has declined nearly five percent from the 2006 peak of 12.8 percent.