How the US Fertility Rate Hit a New Low While Births Continued to Rise

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) released new data on Thursday revealing that the US general fertility rate has dropped to an all-time low. In 2024, there were 53.8 births per 1,000 women ages 15 to 44—a 1% dip from the year prior and part of a long-term downward trend. Since 2007’s baby boom, the fertility rate has declined by 22%.

While that headline may sound alarms, the story isn’t all doom and gloom. In fact, in that same data set the CDC reveals that the total number of babies born in the US actually increased in 2024, rising 1% to just over 3.6 million births.

So how can the fertility rate be dropping if births are increasing? It all comes down to when people are having babies. The general fertility rate measures how many babies are born per 1,000 women of childbearing age (15–44). If fewer younger women are having children, but more people are waiting until their late 30s or early 40s to grow their families, the rate can decline even as the total number of babies rises.

Experts believe that may be what’s happening now. According to the CDC, birth rates fell for women under 35, stayed unchanged for women 35–39 and increased for women 40–44. In other words, today’s parents are waiting longer to have children. While each woman may be having fewer children overall, older age groups, who make up a growing share of new moms, are helping to nudge total births upward.

This shift is part of a broader cultural trend. Earlier this year, the CDC reported that for the first time more babies are born to women over 40 than teens. Factors like financial readiness, IVF access and evolving personal timelines are reshaping what family-building looks like.

While these changes may raise long-term concerns around population replacement and aging infrastructure, they don’t signal a crisis for individual families. If anything, they point to a growing ability for people to make informed, empowered decisions about when and how they become parents.