WASHINGTON, D.C. – According to a report released today, the general fertility rate in the United States is the lowest ever recorded.
This report, published on October 3, 2012 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics, made available a wide range of birth data and statistics compiled for 2011.
Also according to the report, the 2011 preliminary number of US births was 3,953,593, 1 percent less (or 45,793 fewer) births than in 2010.
Teen births fell to records lows. The birth rate for teenagers 15-19 years fell 8 percent in 2011 (31.3 births per 1,000 teenagers 15-19 years), a record low, with rates declining for younger and older teenagers and for all race and Hispanic origin groups.
More from the report:
• The birth rates for women in their twenties declined as well, to a historic low for women aged 20-24 (85.3 births per 1,000).
• The birth rate for women in their early thirties was unchanged in 2011 but rose for women aged 35-39 and 40-44.
• The birth rate for women in their late forties was unchanged in 2011.
• The first birth rate in 2011 (25.4 births per 1,000) was the lowest ever recorded for the United States.
• The birth rate, the number of births, and the percentage of births to unmarried women each declined for the third consecutive year.