Mean Age at First Birth Rises to 27.1 Years

The average age at which women have their first birth climbed to a record high of 27.1 years in 2020, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. Mean age at first birth has been rising steadily for decades...

Mean age at first birth, 1970 to 2020

2020: 27.1

2010: 25.4

2000: 24.9

1990: 24.2

1980: 22.7

1970: 21.4

There were a total of 3,613,647 babies born in the United States in 2020—4 percent fewer than in 2019 and the smallest number since 1980. The number of births a woman will have in her lifetime given current age-specific fertility rates also hit a record low in 2020 of just 1.6. As recently as 2009, this figure was more than 2.0. 

Here are some other facts about 2020 births...

• 51.0% of births were to non-Hispanic white women
• 24.0% of births were to Hispanic women
• 15.6% of births were to Black women
•   6.1% of births were to Asian women
• 40.5% of births were to unmarried women
• 31.8% of births were by Cesarean delivery
• 57.2% of mothers were overweight
• 42.0% of deliveries were paid for by Medicaid
• 83.5% of infants were being breastfed at discharge
•   5.5% of women smoked during pregnancy
•   2.0% of pregnancies were the result of infertility treatment

Source: National Center for Health Statistics, Births: Final Data for 2020 (PDF)