New federal data from the CDC reveals that the U.S. fertility rate declined to a record low of approximately 1.62 children per woman in 2024.
Although the total number of births rose slightly by 1%, the overall fertility rate fell by 1% compared to the previous year. The decline was most pronounced among women aged 15 to 34, while birth rates for women aged 40 to 44 saw a modest increase.
In addition, the rate of primary cesarean deliveries went up, while the percentage of births covered by Medicaid decreased across all maternal age groups.
This continuing decline in births per woman remains well below the replacement level of roughly 2.1 needed to sustain a stable population.
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