U.S. health officials say the nation’s birth rate in 2020 fell to its lowest level in more than 40 years. The rate fell 4 percent in 2020 to about 3.6 million babies, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a new report. That is the lowest number of U.S. births since 1979. The CDC said it was the sixth year in a row that the U.S. saw a decrease in births after the last increase in 2014. The rate has dropped an average of 2 percent per year since 2015. The birth rate dropped for women in every major race and ethnicity, and in nearly every age group. The CDC said the U.S. fertility rate -- which measures the number of births per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44 -- declined by 4 percent in 2020. U.S. births have been decreasing in younger women for many years, as many mothers started families later and had smaller families. Birth rates for women in their late 30s and in their 40s have slowly been increasing. But last year was different. The CDC’s Brady Hamilton was the lead writer of the report. He said one of the most surprising results was the decrease in births even for older mothers. The CDC report was based on an examination of more than 99 percent of official birth records issued last year. The Associated Press found that births had fallen during the coronavirus pandemic by looking at 2020 data from 25 states. Experts say the pandemic was one likely cause of the drop in U.S. birth rates. Fears about COVID-19 and its effects on the economy may have caused many couples to rethink having a child. Many of the 2020 pregnancies, however, began well before the coronavirus pandemic. Hamilton said CDC researchers are working on a second report to explain the decrease.
Title: US Births Drop to Lowest Level in More than 40 Years
Content: <div id='article-page'><div id='article-content' data-media-url='//news-app-staging.s3.amazonaws.com' data-base-url='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5066/B.wav' data-capture-url='//staging.analytics.lingraphica.com/events/capture_news' data-article-title='US Births Drop to Lowest Level in More than 40 Years' data-article-id='5631'><script src='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com/javascripts/getscripts.js'></script><link rel='stylesheet' href='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com/stylesheets/article.css' type='text/css' /><div class='article'><p><span data-start-time='0' data-end-time='11958'>U.S. health officials say the nation’s birth rate in 2020 fell to its lowest level in more than 40 years.</span> <span data-start-time='11958' data-end-time='26875'>The rate fell 4 percent in 2020 to about 3.6 million babies, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a new report. </span> <span data-start-time='26875' data-end-time='33208'>That is the lowest number of U.S. births since 1979.</span> <span data-start-time='33208' data-end-time='45938'>The CDC said it was the sixth year in a row that the U.S. saw a decrease in births after the last increase in 2014. </span> <span data-start-time='45938' data-end-time='53229'>The rate has dropped an average of 2 percent per year since 2015.</span> <span data-start-time='53229' data-end-time='63125'>The birth rate dropped for women in every major race and ethnicity, and in nearly every age group.</span> <span data-start-time='63125' data-end-time='79250'>The CDC said the U.S. fertility rate -- which measures the number of births per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44 -- declined by 4 percent in 2020.</span> <span data-start-time='79250' data-end-time='92042'>U.S. births have been decreasing in younger women for many years, as many mothers started families later and had smaller families. </span> <span data-start-time='92042' data-end-time='100396'>Birth rates for women in their late 30s and in their 40s have slowly been increasing. </span> <span data-start-time='100396' data-end-time='103521'>But last year was different.</span> <span data-start-time='103521' data-end-time='110292'>The CDC’s Brady Hamilton was the lead writer of the report. </span> <span data-start-time='110292' data-end-time='119875'>He said one of the most surprising results was the decrease in births even for older mothers.</span> <span data-start-time='119875' data-end-time='130458'>The CDC report was based on an examination of more than 99 percent of official birth records issued last year. </span> <span data-start-time='130458' data-end-time='144354'>The Associated Press found that births had fallen during the coronavirus pandemic by looking at 2020 data from 25 states.</span> <span data-start-time='144354' data-end-time='153146'>Experts say the pandemic was one likely cause of the drop in U.S. birth rates. </span> <span data-start-time='153146' data-end-time='163250'>Fears about COVID-19 and its effects on the economy may have caused many couples to rethink having a child.</span> <span data-start-time='163250' data-end-time='172208'>Many of the 2020 pregnancies, however, began well before the coronavirus pandemic.</span> <span data-start-time='172208' data-end-time='180500'>Hamilton said CDC researchers are working on a second report to explain the decrease.</span> </p></div><div class='control-buttons-sticky' style='display:none;'><div class='control-buttons'><button title='Back' class='back' disabled='disabled'></button><button title='Play' class='play' disabled='disabled'></button><button title='Pause' class='pause' style='display:none;'></button><button title='Forward' class='forward' disabled='disabled'></button><button class='finished-reading' style='display:none;'>Done</button></div></div></div><div id='article-media'><div id='media-image'><img src='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5066/B.jpeg'/></div></div><div id='question-content' style='display:none;'><div class='vocabulary_question question-container' data-question-id=17395 data-hint-location='63125' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5066/what_does_the_word_decline_mean.wav'>What does the word decline mean?</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='To decrease'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5066/to_decrease.wav'><span>To decrease</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5066/to_increase.wav'><span>To increase</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5066/to_stay_the_same.wav'><span>To stay the same</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5066/to_lean_backward.wav'><span>To lean backward</span></div></div></div><div class='multiple_choice_question question-container' data-question-id=17396 data-hint-location='45938' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5066/what_has_the_average_birth_rate_dropped_by_per_year_since_2015.wav'>What has the average birth rate dropped by per year since 2015?</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='2 percent'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5066/5_percent.wav'><span>5 percent</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5066/2_percent.wav'><span>2 percent</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5066/1_percent.wav'><span>1 percent</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5066/10_percent.wav'><span>10 percent</span></div></div></div><div class='sentence_completion_question question-container' data-question-id=17397 data-hint-location='144354' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5066/experts_say_the__blank__was_one_likely_cause_of_the_drop_in_us_birth_rates_.wav'>Experts say the <span class='blank'>pandemic</span> was one likely cause of the drop in U.S. birth rates. </div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='pandemic'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5066/asteroid.wav'><span>asteroid</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5066/pandemic.wav'><span>pandemic</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5066/weather.wav'><span>weather</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5066/pope.wav'><span>Pope</span></div></div></div><div class='question-buttons'><button class='skip-button'></button><button class='hint-button'></button><button class='speak-button'></button></div></div></div>
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