How have US fertility and birth rates changed over time?

Women nationwide are giving birth to fewer children than they did 100 years ago, 10 years ago, and even a year ago. Those who do are increasingly having children later in life. Measuring a nation’s fertility and birth rates helps explain how demographics may shift over time.

How are fertility rates calculated?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines the general fertility rate as the number of live births per 1,000 women ages 15 to 44.

How has the fertility rate changed over time?

The nation’s fertility rate has declined since 1957, when there were 122.9 births per 1,000 women ages 15–44. Data for 2023 puts the current fertility rate at less than half the 1957 rate, 54.5.

How have birth rates changed by maternal age?

Many American women are having children later in life. In 2005, the birth rate was highest for women ages 25–29 (116.5 births per 1,000 women). In 2023, the women ages 30–34 took the lead (95.1).

From 2005 to 2023, birth rates dropped for women ages 34 and younger and increased among those 35 and up.

How do fertility rates vary by state?

In 2022, fertility rates were highest in South Dakota (66.5 births per 1,000 women), Alaska (64.9), and Nebraska (63.6).

Fertility rates were lowest in Oregon (47.3), Delaware (44.9), and Vermont (44.3).

How have fertility rates changed by state over time?

Fertility rates dropped in all states between 2005 and 2022.

The states with the biggest drops were Utah (-33.9%), Arizona (-31.9%), and Delaware (-31.2%). In Utah, the 2005 fertility rate was 92.8 births per 1,000 women; in 2022, it dropped to 61.3.

The states with the most stable fertility rates were Kentucky (-6.0%), North Dakota (-4.3%), and Louisiana (-0.3%). In Louisiana, the fertility rate dropped from 62 births to 61.8 births.

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