U.S. Fertility Rate Hits Record Low as Older Women Have More Babies
CDC report shows U.S. fertility rate fell 1% in 2025 to a record low, with steep drops among younger women but small increases for ages 30-45.
The story in focus
The U.S. general fertility rate fell 1% in 2025 to its lowest level ever recorded, according to a CDC report. The decline continues a two-decade trend, with steep drops among women in their late teens and early 20s, while birthrates for women ages 30 to 45 rose slightly.
- The general fertility rate for U.S. women fell 1% in 2025 to a new record low, per the CDC.
- Birthrates declined 7% for women in their late teens and 6% for ages 20-24.
- Women ages 30 to 45 saw a small but significant increase in birthrates.
- The U.S. median age reached 39.4 in 2025, and the under-18 population dropped by more than 1 million from 2010 to 2020.
Record-low fertility continues long decline
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that the U.S. general fertility rate fell 1% in 2025 to its lowest level ever recorded, extending a two-decade trend toward fewer children. Brady Hamilton, a demographer at the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics who co-authored the report, called the 6% decline in the birthrate for women ages 20 to 24 noteworthy and noted a 7% decline for women in their late teens.
A separate study released last month by the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta found that Gen Z women are dramatically less likely to want children compared with women of previous generations, citing factors such as increased labor market opportunities, rising financial costs, changing priorities and concerns about maternal mortality.
Older mothers and a shifting population
The CDC data also showed a small but significant increase in birthrates among women ages 30 to 45. Dr. Tanise Branche, medical director of labor and delivery at Temple Health in Philadelphia, told NPR that more women are building careers and stable lives before becoming mothers. The U.S. median age rose to 39.4 years in 2025, and the population under age 18 fell by more than 1 million from 2010 to 2020, according to the Census Bureau.
What happened to birthrates among younger and older U.S. women in 2025?
Birthrates fell 7% for women in their late teens and 6% for ages 20-24, while women ages 30 to 45 saw a small but significant increase, according to the CDC report.
Sources & further reading
Help keep the record accurate. Send a correction.
