The US fertility rate reached an all-time low in 2023

The nation’s fertility rate has declined since 1957, when there were 122.9 births per 1,000 women ages 15–44. Data for 2023 puts the current fertility rate at less than half the 1957 rate, 54.5.

How have birth rates changed by maternal age?

Many American women are having children later in life. In 2005, the birth rate was highest for women ages 25–29 (116.5 births per 1,000 women). In 2023, the women ages 30–34 took the lead (95.1).

From 2005 to 2023, birth rates dropped for women ages 34 and younger and increased among those 35 and up.