Charted: The U.S. Fertility Rate is at All-Time Lows (1909-2023)

Jeff Desjardins
2025-06-10 16:14:00
www.visualcapitalist.com

See this visualization first on the Voronoi app.

Charted: The U.S. Fertility Rate is at All-Time Lows (1909-2023)

This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.

The U.S. fertility rate in 2023 was just 54.5 births per 1,000 women, a historic low.
Since peaking in 1957 at 122.9 births per 1,000 women, the rate has been in steady decline.
More women are having children later in life, with women aged 30–34 now showing the highest birth rates.

For over a century, the fertility rate in the United States has reflected sweeping demographic and societal changes. This dataset, visualized by USAFacts using data from the CDC, captures the trend from 1909 through 2023.

Year	Births per 1,000 women (aged 15-44)
1909	126.8
1910	126.8
1911	126.3
1912	125.8
1913	124.7
1914	126.6
1915	125.0
1916	123.4
1917	121.0
1918	119.8
1919	111.2
1920	117.9
1921	119.8
1922	111.2
1923	110.5
1924	110.9
1925	106.6
1926	102.6
1927	99.8
1928	93.8
1929	89.3
1930	89.2
1931	84.6
1932	81.7
1933	76.3
1934	78.5
1935	77.2
1936	75.8
1937	77.1
1938	79.1
1939	77.6
1940	79.9
1941	83.4
1942	91.5
1943	94.3
1944	88.8
1945	85.9
1946	101.9
1947	113.3
1948	107.3
1949	107.1
1950	106.2
1951	111.5
1952	113.9
1953	115.2
1954	118.1
1955	118.3
1956	121.2
1957	122.9
1958	120.2
1959	118.8
1960	118.0
1961	117.1
1962	112.0
1963	108.3
1964	104.7
1965	96.3
1966	90.8
1967	87.2
1968	85.2
1969	86.1
1970	87.9
1971	81.6
1972	73.1
1973	68.8
1974	67.8
1975	66.0
1976	65.0
1977	66.8
1978	65.5
1979	67.2
1980	68.4
1981	67.3
1982	67.3
1983	65.7
1984	65.5
1985	66.3
1986	65.4
1987	65.8
1988	67.3
1989	69.2
1990	70.9
1991	69.3
1992	68.4
1993	67.0
1994	65.9
1995	64.6
1996	64.1
1997	63.6
1998	64.3
1999	64.4
2000	65.9
2001	65.1
2002	65.0
2003	66.1
2004	66.4
2005	66.7
2006	68.6
2007	69.3
2008	68.1
2009	66.2
2010	64.1
2011	63.2
2012	63.0
2013	62.5
2014	62.9
2015	62.5
2016	62.0
2017	60.3
2018	59.1
2019	58.3
2020	55.7
2021	56.3
2022	56.0
2023	54.5

The data shows the U.S. general fertility rate peaked in 1957 at 122.9 births per 1,000 women aged 15–44.

By 2023, that rate had fallen to 54.5—less than half the mid-century high. The sharpest declines came post-1960s, but the downward trend continues in the modern era.

Why Are Fertility Rates Falling?

Declining fertility rates are tied to a range of factors: economic pressures, access to contraception, shifts in social norms, delayed marriage and childbirth, and more women pursuing higher education and careers.

This broader trend reflects a transformation in how, when, and if Americans choose to have children.

Births Are Shifting to Older Age Groups

An important dynamic behind this trend is the shifting age profile of new mothers.

As of 2005, women aged 25–29 had the highest birth rates, at 116.5 births per 1,000 women. By 2023, the peak had shifted to the 30–34 age group, which logged 95.1 births per 1,000 women.

Between 2005 and 2023, fertility declined for women under 35, while increasing for those 35 and older. This demographic shift reflects later-life planning and improvements in maternal health options for older women.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

Want to dive deeper? Check out the companion piece showing how fertility rates have changed across all 50 states: Fertility Rates Decreased Nationwide from 2005 to 2022.

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