Daily Briefing

America's slowing birth rates, charted


The number of children born in the United States in 2022 was virtually unchanged from 2021 and remains below pre-pandemic levels, according to new provisional data from CDC's National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS).

US birth rates in 2022

According to an NCHS analysis of birth records, there were 3,661,220 births in the United States in 2022, which researchers said was a "nonsignificant decline" from the 3,664,292 births recorded in 2021. The total fertility rate was 1,665 births per 1,000 women, and the general fertility rate was 56.1 births per 1,000 women ages 15 to 44. Both rates were virtually unchanged from 2021.

"It's essentially unchanged," said Brady Hamilton, a statistician demographer at NCHS. "It's a very small difference, relatively speaking, compared to the total number of births, which are in the millions."

Birth rates continue to be highest among women ages 25 to 29 and women ages 30 to 34 at over 90 births per 1,000 women. Women ages 40 to 44 saw the largest increase in birth rate at 12.5 births per 1,000 women, a 4% increase from 2021.

Among teenagers ages 15 to 19, the estimated birth rate declined to a record low of 13.5 births per 1,000 women. Teen birth rates have declined by an annual average of 8% every year since 2009. However, the teen birth rate only declined by 3% from 2021 to 2022.

"It definitely differs from the pattern that we have seen before, and certainly one of the things that we'll look at once we get the final data, looking at it in terms of the rates by state, and looking at it in detail in terms of race and Hispanic origin," Hamilton said.

In 2019 and 2020, almost all racial and ethnic groups saw a decrease in fertility rates. Since then, only a few groups have seen their fertility rates increase again.

In 2022, Hispanic women saw a 4% increase in fertility rates, reaching 66.1 births per 1,000 women. In addition, Asian women had a 3% increase, and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander women had a 6% increase. In comparison, Black and white women had slight decreases in their fertility rates from 2021.

According to CBS News, the current data is only provisional, and final estimates will be published later this summer. However, it is unlikely there will be significant changes in the finalized figures. Instead, the final report will include further details and analyses, including how trends vary by age and by state.

"There's never a very large difference in terms of the final data versus the provisional data," Hamilton said. "And in our report, we noted that we've collected roughly 99.99% of the records that we expect to see in terms of the final data, so it tracks well, and the general patterns you see should hold up." (Tin, CBS News, 6/1; DeBarros, Wall Street Journal, 6/1; Hamilton et al., Vital Statistics Rapid Release, accessed 6/1) 


SPONSORED BY

INTENDED AUDIENCE

AFTER YOU READ THIS

AUTHORS

TOPICS

MORE FROM TODAY'S DAILY BRIEFING

Don't miss out on the latest Advisory Board insights

Create your free account to access 1 resource, including the latest research and webinars.

Want access without creating an account?

   

You have 1 free members-only resource remaining this month.

1 free members-only resources remaining

1 free members-only resources remaining

You've reached your limit of free insights

Become a member to access all of Advisory Board's resources, events, and experts

Never miss out on the latest innovative health care content tailored to you.

Benefits include:

Unlimited access to research and resources
Member-only access to events and trainings
Expert-led consultation and facilitation
The latest content delivered to your inbox

You've reached your limit of free insights

Become a member to access all of Advisory Board's resources, events, and experts

Never miss out on the latest innovative health care content tailored to you.

Benefits include:

Unlimited access to research and resources
Member-only access to events and trainings
Expert-led consultation and facilitation
The latest content delivered to your inbox
AB
Thank you! Your updates have been made successfully.
Oh no! There was a problem with your request.
Error in form submission. Please try again.