By the Numbers: Cradle recession

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The United States continues to grapple with a stubbornly low birth rate

Illustration by Krieg Barrie

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29%

The share of American nonparents who affirmed they don’t want to have children, according to a study published in the Journal of Marriage and Family in March. That number is more than double the percentage in 2002, marking a worrying trend of lower birth rates that began with the Great Recession in 2008.

1.63

The number of births per woman in the United States in 2024, according to new federal data. It is well below the 2.1 births per woman required to maintain population and down 23% since 2007.

3.9 million

This year’s peak number of U.S. high school graduates, who were born before birth rates began falling in 2008. Experts predict that the number of high school graduates will fall 13% by 2041.

$5,000

The amount of a “baby bonus” for American mothers that the Trump administration is considering, among other proposals, as a means to boost U.S. fertility rates.

Family & Society