Washington D.C., Jan 26, 2021 / 11:00 am
Recently-published data suggest that the birth rate in the U.S. declined considerably from 2019 to 2020, refuting hopes of a "baby boom" during the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to NBCLX, real-time data from several states showed marked declines in their birthrates in 2020. In Dec., 2020, Florida's birthrates declined 8% from the previous year, Ohio's by 7%, and Arizona's by 5%. Several major hospital systems also reported similar drops in birthrates from Dec., 2019 to Dec., 2020.
The real-time 2020 data from states follows a steady decline in the overall U.S. birth rate that reached its lowest recorded level in 2019. According to CDC data published in May, 2020, only 58.2 births were registered for every 1,000 women between the ages of 15-44 in 2019. The birth rate has fallen steadily for more than a decade, following a peak before the 2008 economic crisis.
While many had wondered if widespread changes to Americans' lifestyles-such as stay-at-home orders and cancellations of social events-could spur an increase in the birth rate, researchers told CNA that they instead had expected a continued decline during 2020.