Provisional data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Protection shows that the United States birth rate is yet again in decline, ending a mini baby boom that began during the pandemic. And thanks to this drop, the U.S. fertility rate is at the lowest it's been in nearly a century.
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Last year, it was reported that between 2007 and 2022, the birth rate fell nearly 23%. Between 2015 and 2020, the birth rate dropped an average of 2% per year, but it rose slightly in 2021, getting a little bump from the height of the pandemic. As life has gotten more expensive, and with many states implementing heavy restrictions on abortion access, it's no surprise that fewer people are having children.