U.S. Fertility Rate Hits Record Low as Population Growth Slows

U.S. fertility rates reached a record low and remain below the level needed to replace the population without immigration, according to data cited by Reuters. U.S. history, but the gap narrowed as the Baby Boom generation aged and later cohorts had fewer children. Current projections show deaths surpassing births each year by around 2030.

Net immigration has supplied most recent population growth. S. 6 percent, roughly one-third the pace recorded during the 1950s. President Donald Trump’s limits on immigration have reduced that inflow, placing the country on a path toward zero net population growth near 2050.

Women’s labor-force participation rose after the 1950s while fertility rates declined. Health-care, education, and childcare costs have increased faster than overall inflation. Job growth has concentrated in service and health occupations, with home attendants, nurses, and software developers among the fastest-growing categories through 2034.

The ratio of working-age adults to retirement-age adults stood near 5-to-1 in 1970 and is projected to fall below 3-to-1 by 2030. Fewer contributors per retiree increase pressure on Social Security and Medicare funding. Options to address shortfalls include higher public debt, benefit reductions, or tax increases.