Friday, December 06, 2013

Births Stable, Fertility Rate Falls through June 2013

The downward slide in births may have come to a halt, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. During the 12-month period ending in June 2013, 3,941,000 babies were born in the United States. This was not statistically different from the number of births during the 12-month period ending in June 2012. Since the 2007 peak, when 4,316,233 babies were born, births have fallen by 9 percent. During the baby bust of the 1970s, which created Generation X, births fell by a much larger 37 percent from peak (1957) to trough (1973).

Although births are stable, the fertility rate is not. The fertility rate—which is the number of births per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44—fell to 62.7 during the 12-month period ending in June 2013. This is a new record low.

Source: National Center for Health Statistics, Recent Trends in Births and Fertility Rates through June 2013

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