California’s birth rate is the lowest it has been since the Great Depression. Today we look at how age and population trends are changing quickly in California and the rest of the nation.

Birth rates by county

Birth rates per 1,000 women in all age groups have declined in each Southern California county from 2011 to 2016.

California birth rate

The birth rate in California is the lowest it’s been in 100 years.

Rates per 1,000 people:

Teen pregnancy declines

The largest declines in births are by women under 24 and particularly teens. From 1990 to 2014 the fertility rate per 1,000 women ages 15-19 declined in the U.S. from 59.9 to 24.2. In California the fertility rate for teens went from 72.1 to 18 and is estimated to drop to 5.3 by 2040.

State teen fertility rates per 1,000 for females ages 15 to 19.

Birth rate states

California’s birth rate is a little above average for the U.S. Utah led the nation in 2013 with a rate of 17.6. States on the East Coast have the lowest rates and states in the Midwest are higher.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Vital Statistics, California Department of Finance