Drop in U.S. birth rate is the biggest in 30 years

By Shari Roan, Los Angeles Times
March 31, 2011

The maternity business has experienced a recession, too, it appears. Births fell 4% from 2007 to 2009, the biggest drop for any two-year period since the mid-1970s, according to federal government data released Thursday.

The rate, 66.7 births per 1,000 women ages 15 to 44, isn't the lowest in recent memory. The 1997 rate was an all-time low of 63.6. But the authors of the report say preliminary data show the birth rate continued falling through the first half of 2010.

The report found:

-Birth rates fell for all women except those 40 and older.

-The birth rate for women ages 20 to 24 was the lowest ever recorded for that age group: 96.3 per 1,000. That's a 9% drop from 2007 to 2009. the rest image by Juan Jimenez