The fertility rate in the U.S. dropped to an all-time low in 2024 with less than 1.6 kids per woman.
The U.S. was once among only a few developed countries with a rate that ensured each generation had enough children to replace itself — about 2.1 kids per woman. But it has been sliding in America for close to two decades as more women are waiting longer to have children or never taking that step at all.
Rachel Sheffield, Research Fellow in Welfare and Family Policy at The Heritage Foundation, says the declining birth rate is primarily driven by declining marriage rates, which has also been a trend for years.
"Reversing those trends is going to be a challenge; however, I would say that there are things that can be done," says Sheffield. "I think, primarily, the one good place to start is to talk about the benefits of marriage, so that people understand why marriage matters."
Sheffield adds that, unfortunately, support for marriage has eroded in many communities, and there are young adults who don't feel confident in being able to have a healthy and thriving marriage.
"Helping young people understand why marriage matters and then providing them with the knowledge and skills necessary to build and maintain healthy marriages, those are some tools that we could use to strengthen marriage and thereby increase the likelihood of the number of births,” Sheffield concludes.
The Trump administration has already taken steps, such as reducing the cost of in vitro fertilization and supporting the idea of baby bonuses, to increase the birth rate.
