The Center for Disease Control just reported that fertility rates are the lowest in the history of the CDC.  Birth rate measures the number of children born compared to the entire population. Fertility rate measures the number of children born to women of childbearing age, generally considered 15-44. Fertility rate is a much more accurate indicator of births than birth rate. Among women ages 15-44 there are 5.9 children born per on hundred women. Rounding up that means there are six babies born for every 100 women between the ages of 15-44. This is the lowest fertility rate since the CDC began recording in 1909. The fertility rates among young women continues to decline, while the rates for women 30-44 went up. The fertility rate has dropped over 10 percent in the last decade. The US is already below replacement rate, which is a little above 2 babies born per woman. In 2010 the U.S. was at 1.9 children born per woman.

If you look at the first chart in this article you will see a general drop in fertility rates since 1940. Here are some numbers from the chart:
1957: 12.2 babies born per 100 women ages 15-44.
1967: 8.72/100
1977: 6.68/100
1990: 7.01-The highest fertility rate since 1973.
2015: 1st Quarter: 5.98/100
1964-1974: Fertility rate drops from 10.47 to 6.78

Another chart from the CDC shows that the fertility rate between 1946 and 1964 never dropped below 10.2.  Continue reading →