Fixing The Fertility Rate Starts With Getting Boys And Girls To Talk To Each Other
April 13, 2026
The federal government’s latest fertility data released last week should put to rest the illusion that America’s demographic decline is temporary. It isn’t. It’s accelerating, and it reflects something deeper than economics. These numbers are emblematic of how American men and women no longer know how to come together.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) annual Vital Statistics Rapid Release report, the United States recorded 3,606,400 births in 2025, with a general fertility rate of 53.1 births per 1,000 women ages 15-44. That figure has been falling for years. In 2015, it was 62.5 births per 1,000 women ages 15-44, CDC data shows. In 2005, the CDC recorded 66.7 births per 1,000 women — the highest level since 1993.
