Fewer births before 30. More births after it. America’s latest fertility figures show a widening age divide in when women have children.
The U.S. general fertility rate reached a record low in 2025, falling 1% to 53.2 births per 1,000 women ages 15 to 44, according to final data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 3.61 million babies were born, a decrease of less than 1% from 2024.
The national figure masks two different directions. Birth rates fell to record lows among women under 30, while rates increased among women ages 30 to 44. Those increases were not enough to offset the declines at younger ages.
The age divide, by the numbers
Teen births fell 7%, to 11.7 births per 1,000 girls and women ages 15 to 19. Rates dropped 6% among women ages 20 to 24 and 4% among those ages 25 to 29.
Meanwhile, birth rates increased 3% among women ages 30 to 34, 2% among those ages 35 to 39 and 1% among those ages 40 to 44. Women in their early 30s had the highest birth rate of any age group.
What “fertility rate” actually means
Despite its medical-sounding name, the general fertility rate counts births relative to the population of women ages 15 to 44. It does not measure their ability to get pregnant.
That distinction matters. A declining birth rate alone cannot tell us how many people are postponing parenthood, choosing not to have children or struggling to conceive. Nor can one year’s figures establish how many children today’s younger women will eventually have.
The clearest finding is about timing: births are declining among younger women and increasing among older women. Understanding why requires looking beyond the birth certificates.