Graph and download economic data for Fertility Rate, Total for the United States from 1960 to 2023 about fertility, rate, and USA.

United States US: Fertility Rate: Total: Births per Woman data was reported at 1.800 Ratio in 2016. This records a decrease from the previous number of 1.843 Ratio for 2015. United States US: Fertility Rate: Total: Births per Woman data is updated yearly, averaging 2.002 Ratio from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2016, with 57 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 3.654 Ratio in 1960 and a record low of 1.738 Ratio in 1976. United States US: Fertility Rate: Total: Births per Woman data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.World Bank: Health Statistics. Total fertility rate represents the number of children that would be born to a woman if she were to live to the end of her childbearing years and bear children in accordance with age-specific fertility rates of the specified year.; ; (1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision. (2) Census reports and other statistical publications from national statistical offices, (3) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, (4) United Nations Statistical Division. Population and Vital Statistics Reprot (various years), (5) U.S. Census Bureau: International Database, and (6) Secretariat of the Pacific Community: Statistics and Demography Programme.; Weighted average; Relevance to gender indicator: it can indicate the status of women within households and a woman’s decision about the number and spacing of children.

Over the past 30 years, the birth rate in the United States has been steadily declining, and in 2023, there were 10.7 births per 1,000 of the population. In 1990, this figure stood at 16.7 births per 1,000 of the population. Demographics have an impact The average birth rate in the U.S. may be falling, but when broken down along ethnic and economic lines, a different picture is painted: Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander women saw the highest birth rate in 2022 among all ethnicities, and Asian women and white women both saw the lowest birth rate. Additionally, the higher the family income, the lower the birth rate; families making between 15,000 and 24,999 U.S. dollars annually had the highest birth rate of any income bracket in the States. Life expectancy at birth In addition to the declining birth rate in the U.S., the total life expectancy at birth has also reached its lowest value recently. Studies have shown that the life expectancy of both men and women in the United States has been declining over the last few years. Declines in life expectancy, like declines in birth rates, may indicate that there are social and economic factors negatively influencing the overall population health and well-being of the country.

In the United States, the crude birth rate in 1800 was 48.3 live births per thousand people, meaning that 4.8 percent of the population had been born in that year. Between 1815 and 1825 the crude birth rate jumped from 46.5 to 54.7 (possibly due to Florida becoming a part of the US, but this is unclear), but from this point until the Second World War the crude birth rate dropped gradually, reaching 19.2 in 1935. Through the 1940s, 50s and 60s the US experienced it's baby boom, and the birth rate reached 24.1 in 1955, before dropping again until 1980. From the 1980s until today the birth rate's decline has slowed, and is expected to reach twelve in 2020, meaning that just over 1 percent of the population will be born in 2020.

United States Total Fertility Rate: Black data was reported at 1,581.000 % in 2023. This records a decrease from the previous number of 1,639.000 % for 2022. United States Total Fertility Rate: Black data is updated yearly, averaging 2,062.000 % from Dec 1985 (Median) to 2023, with 39 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 2,480.000 % in 1990 and a record low of 1,581.000 % in 2023. United States Total Fertility Rate: Black data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.G013: Fertility Rate.

Fertility Rate, Total for the United States was 1.61650 Births per Woman in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, Fertility Rate, Total for the United States reached a record high of 3.65400 in January of 1960 and a record low of 1.61650 in January of 2023. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Fertility Rate, Total for the United States - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on December of 2025.

Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander women had the highest fertility rate of any ethnicity in the United States in 2022, with about 2,237.5 births per 1,000 women. The fertility rate for all ethnicities in the U.S. was 1,656.5 births per 1,000 women. What is the total fertility rate? The total fertility rate is an estimation of the number of children who would theoretically be born per 1,000 women through their childbearing years (generally considered to be between the ages of 15 and 44) according to age-specific fertility rates. The fertility rate is different from the birth rate, in that the birth rate is the number of births in relation to the population over a specific period of time. Fertility rates around the world Fertility rates around the world differ on a country-by-country basis, and more industrialized countries tend to see lower fertility rates. For example, Niger topped the list of the countries with the highest fertility rates, and Taiwan had the lowest fertility rate.

United States Birth Rate: White data was reported at 9.300 % in 2023. This records a decrease from the previous number of 9.500 % for 2022. United States Birth Rate: White data is updated yearly, averaging 13.700 % from Dec 1985 (Median) to 2023, with 39 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 15.800 % in 1990 and a record low of 9.300 % in 2023. United States Birth Rate: White data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.G008: Birth Rate.

In 2023, the total fertility rate in children per woman in the United States stood at 1.62. Between 1960 and 2023, the figure dropped by 2.03, though the decline followed an uneven course rather than a steady trajectory.

The total fertility rate of the world has dropped from around 5 children per woman in 1950, to 2.2 children per woman in 2025, which means that women today are having fewer than half the number of children that women did 75 years ago. Replacement level fertility This change has come as a result of the global demographic transition, and is influenced by factors such as the significant reduction in infant and child mortality, reduced number of child marriages, increased educational and vocational opportunities for women, and the increased efficacy and availability of contraception. While this change has become synonymous with societal progress, it does have wide-reaching demographic impact - if the global average falls below replacement level (roughly 2.1 children per woman), as is expected to happen in the 2050s, then this will lead to long-term population decline on a global scale. Regional variations When broken down by continent, Africa is the only region with a fertility rate above the global average, and, alongside Oceania, it is the only region with a fertility rate above replacement level. Until the 1980s, the average woman in Africa could expect to have 6-7 children over the course of their lifetime, and there are still several countries in Africa where women can still expect to have 5 or more children in 2025. Historically, Europe has had the lowest fertility rates in the world over the past century, falling below replacement level in 1975. Europe's population has grown through a combination of migration and increasing life expectancy, however even high immigration rates could not prevent its population from going into decline in 2021.

This dataset includes teen birth rates for females by age group, race, and Hispanic origin in the United States since 1960. Data availability varies by race and ethnicity groups. All birth data by race before 1980 are based on race of the child. Since 1980, birth data by race are based on race of the mother. For race, data are available for Black and White births since 1960, and for American Indians/Alaska Native and Asian/Pacific Islander births since 1980. Data on Hispanic origin are available since 1989. Teen birth rates for specific racial and ethnic categories are also available since 1989. From 2003 through 2015, the birth data by race were based on the “bridged” race categories (5). Starting in 2016, the race categories for reporting birth data changed; the new race and Hispanic origin categories are: Non-Hispanic, Single Race White; Non-Hispanic, Single Race Black; Non-Hispanic, Single Race American Indian/Alaska Native; Non-Hispanic, Single Race Asian; and, Non-Hispanic, Single Race Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (5,6). Birth data by the prior, “bridged” race (and Hispanic origin) categories are included through 2018 for comparison. National data on births by Hispanic origin exclude data for Louisiana, New Hampshire, and Oklahoma in 1989; New Hampshire and Oklahoma in 1990; and New Hampshire in 1991 and 1992. Birth and fertility rates for the Central and South American population includes other and unknown Hispanic. Information on reporting Hispanic origin is detailed in the Technical Appendix for the 1999 public-use natality data file (see ftp://ftp.cdc.gov/pub/Health_Statistics/NCHS/Dataset_Documentation/DVS/natality/Nat1999doc.pdf). SOURCES NCHS, National Vital Statistics System, birth data (see https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/births.htm); public-use data files (see https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data_access/VitalStatsOnline.htm); and CDC WONDER (see http://wonder.cdc.gov/). REFERENCES National Office of Vital Statistics. Vital Statistics of the United States, 1950, Volume I. 1954. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/vsus/vsus_1950_1.pdf. Hetzel AM. U.S. vital statistics system: major activities and developments, 1950-95. National Center for Health Statistics. 1997. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/misc/usvss.pdf. National Center for Health Statistics. Vital Statistics of the United States, 1967, Volume I–Natality. 1969. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/vsus/nat67_1.pdf. Martin JA, Hamilton BE, Osterman MJK, et al. Births: Final data for 2015. National vital statistics reports; vol 66 no 1. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2017. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr66/nvsr66_01.pdf. Martin JA, Hamilton BE, Osterman MJK, Driscoll AK, Drake P. Births: Final data for 2016. National Vital Statistics Reports; vol 67 no 1. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2018. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/nvsr/nvsr67/nvsr67_01.pdf. Martin JA, Hamilton BE, Osterman MJK, Driscoll AK, Births: Final data for 2018. National vital statistics reports; vol 68 no 13. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2019. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr68/nvsr68_13.pdf.

US Births by County and State

1985-2015 Aggregated Data

By data.world's Admin [source]

About this dataset

This dataset contains an aggregation of birth data from the United Statesbetween 1985 and 2015. It consists of information on mothers' locations by state (including District of Columbia) and county, as well as information such as the month they gave birth, and aggregates giving the sum of births during that month. This data has been provided by both the National Bureau for Economic Research and National Center for Health Statistics, whose shared mission is to understand how life works in order to aid individuals in making decisions about their health and wellbeing. This dataset provides valuable insight into population trends across time and location - for example, which states have higher or lower birthrates than others? Which counties experience dramatic fluctuations over time? Given its scope, this dataset could be used in a number of contexts--from epidemiology research to population forecasting. Be sure to check out our other datasets related to births while you're here!

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How to use the dataset

This dataset could be used to examine local trends in birth rates over time or analyze births at different geographical locations. In order to maximize your use of this dataset, it is important that you understand what information the various columns contain.

The main columns are: State (including District of Columbia), County (coded using the FIPS county code number), Month (numbering from 1 for January through 12 for December), Year (4-digit year) countyBirths (calculated sum of births that occurred to mothers living in a county for a given month) and stateBirths (calculated sum of births that occurred to mothers living in a state for a given month). These fields should provide enough information for you analyze trends across geographic locations both at monthly and yearly levels. You could also consider combining variables such as Year with State or Year with Month or any other grouping combinations depending on your analysis goal.

In addition, while all data were downloaded on April 5th 2017, it is worth noting that all sources used followed privacy guidelines as laid out by NCHC so individual births occurring after 2005 are not included due to geolocation concerns.
We hope you find this dataset useful and can benefit from its content! With proper understanding of what each field contains, we are confident you will gain valuable insights on birth rates across counties within the United States during this period

Research Ideas

• Establishing county-level trends in birth rates for the US over time.
• Analyzing the relationship between month of birth and health outcomes for US babies after they are born (e.g., infant mortality, neurological development, etc.).
• Comparing state/county-level differences in average numbers of twins born each year

Acknowledgements

If you use this dataset in your research, please credit the original authors. Data Source

License

See the dataset description for more information.

Columns

File: allBirthData.csv | Column name | Description | |:-----------------|:-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | State | The numerical order of the state where the mother lives. (Integer) | | Month | The month in which the birth took place. (Integer) | | Year | The year of the birth. (Integer) | | countyBirths | The calculated sum of births that occurred to mothers living in that county for that particular month. (Integer) | | stateBirths | The aggregate number at the level of entire states for any given month-year combination. (Integer) | | County | The county where the mother lives, coded using FIPS County Code. (Integer) |

Acknowledgements

If you use this dataset in your research, please credit the original authors. If you use this dataset in your research, please credit data.world's Admin.

United States Total Fertility Rate: Hispanic data was reported at 1,946.000 % in 2023. This records a decrease from the previous number of 1,969.500 % for 2022. United States Total Fertility Rate: Hispanic data is updated yearly, averaging 2,680.500 % from Dec 1989 (Median) to 2023, with 35 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 3,043.000 % in 1992 and a record low of 1,879.500 % in 2020. United States Total Fertility Rate: Hispanic data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.G013: Fertility Rate.

United States Birth Rate: 45 to 49: Asian data was reported at 1.800 % in 2023. This stayed constant from the previous number of 1.800 % for 2022. United States Birth Rate: 45 to 49: Asian data is updated yearly, averaging 1.100 % from Dec 1985 (Median) to 2023, with 39 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1.900 % in 2019 and a record low of 0.800 % in 2000. United States Birth Rate: 45 to 49: Asian data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.G008: Birth Rate.

United States - Fertility Rate, Total for Other Small States was 2.01692 Births per Woman in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Fertility Rate, Total for Other Small States reached a record high of 5.69293 in January of 1959 and a record low of 2.01692 in January of 2023. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Fertility Rate, Total for Other Small States - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on November of 2025.

United States - Fertility Rate, Total for Low Income Countries was 4.53057 Births per Woman in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Fertility Rate, Total for Low Income Countries reached a record high of 6.74676 in January of 1972 and a record low of 4.53057 in January of 2023. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Fertility Rate, Total for Low Income Countries - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on October of 2025.

United States - Fertility Rate, Total for Least Developed Countries was 3.96127 Births per Woman in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Fertility Rate, Total for Least Developed Countries reached a record high of 6.78376 in January of 1970 and a record low of 3.94464 in January of 2019. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Fertility Rate, Total for Least Developed Countries - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on November of 2025.

United States Birth Rate: 20 to 24: Hispanic data was reported at 81.100 % in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 79.200 % for 2022. United States Birth Rate: 20 to 24: Hispanic data is updated yearly, averaging 159.000 % from Dec 1989 (Median) to 2023, with 35 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 185.200 % in 1992 and a record low of 79.200 % in 2022. United States Birth Rate: 20 to 24: Hispanic data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.G008: Birth Rate.

This dataset includes birth rates for females by age group in the United States since 1940.

The number of states in the reporting area differ historically. In 1915 (when the birth registration area was established), 10 states and the District of Columbia reported births; by 1933, 48 states and the District of Columbia were reporting births, with the last two states, Alaska and Hawaii, added to the registration area in 1959 and 1960, when these regions gained statehood. Reporting area information is detailed in references 1 and 2 below. Trend lines for 1909–1958 are based on live births adjusted for under-registration; beginning with 1959, trend lines are based on registered live births.

Actual value and historical data chart for United States Birth Rate Crude Per 1 000 People