Fertility Rates Drop to Lowest Level Measured in the US, Says the CDC

Fertility rates in America–the number of babies born per 1,000 women ages 15 to 44–are at the lowest levels ever recorded, according to researchers in a new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The findings are based on population data from the CDC that track birth and fertility statistics dating back to 1909. This does not indicate there are more infertile women; rather it means that fewer babies are being born to women of likely childbearing age in the U.S. Measuring the fertility rate is viewed as a more accurate measure than overall birthrate, which compares babies born with the total U.S. population.

The fertility rate decreased from 60 births per 1,000 women in the first quarter of 2015 to 59.8 per 1,000 in the first quarter of 2016. This means there are on average fewer than six babies born for every 100 women in this age group. In 2010 there were 6.4 births for every 100 women in the group. This follows a trend in recent years of declining birthrates in the U.S., with general fertility rates declining more than 10 percent since 2007.

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