Births: Final Data for 2024.

OBJECTIVES

This report presents 2024 data on U.S. births by selected characteristics. Trends in fertility patterns and maternal and infant characteristics are described.

METHODS

Descriptive tabulations based on birth certificates of the 3.63 million births registered in 2024 are shown for various maternal demographic and health characteristics; medical and healthcare utilization, including source of payment for the delivery; and infant health characteristics. Selected data by mother's state of residence and birth rates also are shown. Trends for 2010 to 2024 are presented for selected items and by race and Hispanic origin for 2016-2024.

RESULTS

A total of 3,628,934 births occurred in the United States in 2024, an increase of 1% from the record low reported for 2023. The general fertility rate declined 1% from 2023 to 53.8 births per 1,000 females ages 15-44 in 2024. Birth rates declined for females ages 15-34 from 2023 to 2024, rose for women ages 40-44, and were unchanged for females ages 10-14 and women ages 35-39 and 45-49. The total fertility rate declined 1% to 1,599.5 births per 1,000 women in 2024, a record low. Birth rates declined for both unmarried and married women from 2023 to 2024. Prenatal care beginning in the first trimester declined to 75.5% in 2024. The percentage of women who smoked during pregnancy declined to 2.4%. The cesarean delivery rate increased by less than 1% to 32.4%. Private insurance as the source of payment for the delivery increased to 51.8% of births, while Medicaid deliveries declined to 40.2%. The preterm birth rate (10.41%) was unchanged from 2023; low birthweight births declined 1% (8.52%). The twin birth rate declined 2% in 2024 to 30.1 per 1,000 births; the triplet and higher-order multiple birth rate was 71.3 per 100,000 births compared with 73.8 for 2023.