Births: Final Data for 2024.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Descriptive population-level vital statistics registry analysis
PubMed 42378845 · doi:10.15620/cdc/252440
What was done
Descriptive analysis of 3,628,934 registered birth certificates from the 2024 U.S. National Vital Statistics System. The report evaluated maternal demographic and health characteristics, healthcare utilization and delivery payment sources, infant health metrics, and longitudinal trends spanning 2010 to 2024.
What was found
Total U.S. births rose 1% to 3,628,934 in 2024. The general fertility rate declined 1% to 53.8 births per 1,000 females aged 15-44, and the total fertility rate fell 1% to a record low of 1,599.5 births per 1,000 women. Age-specific birth rates declined for females aged 15-34, increased for women aged 40-44, and remained stable for age groups 10-14, 35-39, and 45-49. First-trimester prenatal care dropped to 75.5%, while maternal smoking during pregnancy declined to 2.4%. Cesarean deliveries rose by less than 1% to 32.4%. Private insurance covered 51.8% of deliveries (an increase), while Medicaid-funded deliveries fell to 40.2%. Preterm births were unchanged at 10.41%, low birthweight births fell 1% to 8.52%, twin births fell 2% to 30.1 per 1,000, and triplet or higher-order births were 71.3 per 100,000.
Why it matters
This report establishes the official national census of U.S. reproductive trends for 2024, documenting a record-low total fertility rate alongside shifting maternal age distributions and health coverage patterns.
Limits
The study is restricted to information documented on standardized birth certificates, which can carry variable recording accuracy for clinical measures. Because the design is purely descriptive, it cannot identify the causal mechanisms underlying observed shifts in fertility, prenatal care access, or delivery methods.