In the continuation of a longer-term trend stretching back over a decade, the number of births in the U.S. fell by 4% in 2020, pushing the birth rate to its lowest point on record. Experts attribute falling birth rates to the increase in the average age of mothers, as people have been marrying and having children later in life. A growing body of evidence suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic may have deterred many would-be parents from starting families.

As it has been since 2007, the U.S. birth rate is well below what is referred to as “replacement-level fertility,” the birth rate a country must maintain to keep population levels stable without immigration. This could prove to be a problem. Though it is difficult to predict the implications with any degree of certainty, an aging and shrinking population could slow economic growth, strain government funding, and lead to worker shortages.

In New York, the birth rate is slightly below the national average. There were 10.5 births for every 1,000 people in the state between July 1, 2020 and July 1, 2021 compared to 10.8 per 1,000 nationwide, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Population and Housing Unit Estimates Program. New York’s birth rate ranks as the 18th lowest among states.

Despite the lower than average birth rate, births outpaced deaths in New York in the most recent year of available data. Excluding net migration — the number of people who moved to or from the state — New York’s population expanded by 0.09% over the 12 months ending in July 2021.

 

Rank	State	Births per 1,000 residents, July 1, 2020 to July 1, 2021	Total births, July 1, 2020 to July 1, 2021
1	Utah	13.8	45,159
2	Alaska	12.7	9,280
3	North Dakota	12.6	9,798
4	Texas	12.4	362,450
5	South Dakota	12.2	10,843
6	Louisiana	12.0	55,942
7	Nebraska	12.0	23,524
8	Oklahoma	11.9	47,125
9	Mississippi	11.8	34,957
10	Arkansas	11.6	35,021
11	Idaho	11.5	21,316
12	Kansas	11.5	33,670
13	Indiana	11.4	77,598
14	Georgia	11.3	121,269
15	Kentucky	11.3	50,725
16	Iowa	11.2	35,771
17	Alabama	11.2	56,320
18	Missouri	11.2	68,818
19	Tennessee	11.2	77,353
20	Minnesota	11.1	63,065
21	Hawaii	11.0	15,904
22	Ohio	10.9	128,595
23	North Carolina	10.9	114,011
24	Nevada	10.9	33,883
25	Maryland	10.8	66,906
26	Virginia	10.8	93,037
27	Wyoming	10.8	6,213
28	California	10.7	424,333
29	South Carolina	10.7	54,713
30	Arizona	10.7	76,497
31	Washington	10.5	81,193
32	Colorado	10.5	60,675
33	New York	10.5	210,640
34	Illinois	10.4	133,097
35	Delaware	10.4	10,311
36	New Mexico	10.4	21,996
37	New Jersey	10.3	95,254
38	Wisconsin	10.3	60,404
39	Michigan	10.2	102,983
40	Pennsylvania	9.9	128,351
41	Florida	9.7	210,305
42	Montana	9.7	10,502
43	West Virginia	9.6	17,232
44	Massachusetts	9.4	66,197
45	Oregon	9.4	39,877
46	Connecticut	9.1	32,671
47	Rhode Island	8.9	9,717
48	Maine	8.3	11,291
49	New Hampshire	8.3	11,414
50	Vermont	7.9	5,057