Surging Housing Prices and Shrinking Apartment Sizes Are Leading to Fewer Babies: Study
November 5, 2025
As the U.S. birth rate continues to shrink, new research is showing that increasing housing prices and shrinking apartment sizes may be exacerbating the fertility crisis.
In July, federal data showed that the birth rate had reached an all-time low of 1.6 children per woman, after steadily falling from the 2.1 replacement level rate over the course of the last two decades. At the same time, polling data compiled by the Institute for Family Studies (IFS) surveying almost 9,000 adults age 18-54 found that almost 80% want a single-family home, with just 8% saying their ideal residence is an apartment. As IFS’s survey revealed, most Americans want single-family homes for raising their children because they provide more space than apartments and housing units.
