America’s Missing Fertility Window
July 2, 2026
The US fertility rate hit yet another new record low in 2025, according to the most recent CDC data. This is barely news, as we have heard it almost every spring for nearly two decades. What is notable is that women in their 30s have significantly higher fertility rates than women in their twenties, marking the thirties as the new peak childbearing decade.
The mainstream media’s reaction has been sanguine. “Women in their 20s may not be having babies, but by 45 most probably will,” says The New York Times. Falling teen birth rates are cited as the culprit behind why US fertility is hitting record lows.
