The US fertility rate continued its decline to historic lows in 2025, driven by two converging trends: teen pregnancy rates have plummeted, and more women are delaying motherhood into their 30s and 40s.

The teen birth rate sat at 11.7 births per 1,000 females aged 15-19 — a number that would have been unimaginable a generation ago when it was around 60. That’s a genuine public health success, attributable to better access to contraception and shifting norms.

The US fertility rate continued its decline to historic lows, driven by two converging forces: plunging teen pregnancies and a sharp increase in women delaying motherhood into their 30s and 40s. The data, released this week, confirms a structural shift rather than a cyclical dip.

Teen pregnancy rates have been falling for decades — that part is a success story, driven by better access to contraception and changing social norms. The delayed motherhood trend is more complicated. It reflects education, labor market dynamics, housing costs, and a general calculus that the conditions for child-rearing are arriving later in life, if at all.