RAND State Statistics recently updated its Births database, reporting counts of live births occurring within the United States by state, county, child's gender and weight, mother's race, mother's age, mother's education, gestation period, and prenatal care. Here are some of the highlights.

The U.S. experienced a sharp drop in the number of births from 2019 to 2020, decreasing 3.6%, from 3,747,540 births in 2019 to 3,613,647 (see Table 1).

Table 1 - Births, United States, 2019-2020

This drop in births from 2019 to 2020 was especially sharp in Wyoming, falling 6.7%, from 6,565 births in 2019 to 6,128. Other states with significant decreases in births over this one-year period were Hawaii (-6.0%), California (-5.9%), New York (-5.5%), Illinois (-4.9%), and Oregon (-4.9%) (see Figure 1).

Figure 1 - Births, United States, 2019-2020

New Hampshire experienced the least significant decrease in births during this time, dropping 0.4%, from 11,839 births in 2019 to 11,791, followed by ??Rhode Island (-0.7%), Delaware (-1.6%) New Jersey (-1.6%), and Alabama (-1.7%) (see Figure 2).

Figure 2 - Births, United States, 2019-2020

U.S births fell on average 1.0% over the last ten years, compared to the larger drop of 3.6% from 2019 to 2020 (see Figure 3).  Only two states experienced a less steep drop in births in 2019 and 2020 compared with the average rate over 10 years – New Hampshire births fell 0.9% on average over the last 10 years, compared to 0.4% over the last one year. Additionally, Rhode Island births fell 1.0% on average over the last ten years, compared to a 0.7% drop over the last one year (see Figure 4). States with the smallest decline in average annual births over this one-year and ten-year period were Delaware (-0.7%), New Jersey (-0.8%), and Maine (-0.9%) (see Figure 5).

Figure 4 - Births, New Hampshire and Rhode Island, 2010-2020

Figure 5 - Births, Delaware, Maine, and New Jersey, 2010-2020

The number of births in North Dakota grew 1.0% on average over the last ten years, compared to an overall drop of 3.8% from 2019 to 2020. Others states that experienced 10-year birth declines higher than the one year average were Wyoming (-4.6%), Florida (-4.5%), Hawaii (-4.2%), New York (-4.0%), and California (-4.0%) (see Figure 6).

Figure 6 - Births, North Dakota, Wyoming, Florida, Hawaii, New York, California, 2010-2020