The best natalist policy: good jobs The makings of a second Baby Boom

First, the good news. In a recent report on birth rates in the United States, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention counted 3.62 million babies born in 2024, up about 1% from the number born in 2023.

Now for the bad: even with that tick upwards, the nation’s total fertility rate remains way below “replacement,” the level at which a given generation can replace itself, 2.1 babies per woman. In 2024, the U.S. fertility rate was 1.62. In most years since 1971, and in every year since 2007, the rate has been below 2.1. What can be done to boost it?

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