ATLANTA (CNN) -- The number of abortions performed in California is down, but overall the state still has the highest number of abortions and the highest abortion rate in the nation, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

In the CDC's latest state-by-state statistics for 1995, released on Thursday, California recorded 289,987 abortions, for an average of 40 per 1,000 women. In 1994, California recorded 308,564 abortions, a rate of 43 per 1,000.

The new statistics show Wyoming had the lowest abortion rate. The state recorded 182 abortions, for an average of two for every 1,000 women. The number of abortions was up from a year earlier, when Wyoming recorded 174 abortions.

Overall, the number of abortions dropped in all but 12 states: Alaska, Florida, Kansas, Nevada, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming.

"Since 1990, we've seen declines in abortions in almost all states," said CDC researcher Lisa Koonin.

Koonin said it's difficult to determine why some states have higher abortion rates than others. Contributing factors can include: accessibility; the local unintended pregnancy rate; and the age and fertility of the population.

The CDC also said that 92 percent of the women obtained abortions in their home states.

Overall, there were 1,210,883 legally performed abortions nationwide in 1995, a 4.5 percent decrease from the number reported in 1994.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

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