U.S. birth rate falls to record low with more births among women over 30

The U.S. birth rate dropped to its lowest level ever recorded in 2025, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as reported by wknofm.org and whro.org.

The overall fertility rate for women fell by 1%, continuing a two-decade trend toward fewer children. The decline was especially pronounced among younger women, with a 6% drop in births for women aged 20 to 24 and a 7% decline for those in their late teens, according to CDC demographer Brady Hamilton.

Despite the overall decline, women over age 30 are having more children, which partially offset the drop in the general birth rate, the CDC report noted.

A separate study by the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta found that Gen Z women, particularly those in their late teens and twenties, are significantly less likely to want children compared with previous generations. Factors influencing this trend include increased labor market opportunities for women, rising financial costs, changing priorities, and concerns about maternal mortality.

Personal accounts, such as that of a Vermont woman cited by wknofm.org, illustrate how financial uncertainty and the high cost of raising children are leading many women to delay pregnancy or choose to have fewer children.

Medical experts like Dr. Tanise Branche of Temple Health have observed that younger women are following different life patterns than previous generations, which is reflected in the changing birth rates.