Trends in Mean Age of Mothers in the United States, 2016 to 2023
Level 3 - non-randomized controlled study
Level by design analogy for national vital statistics surveillance (serial population-based registry data).
OpenAlex W4410806527 · doi:10.15620/cdc/174598
What was done
Researchers analyzed birth records from the National Vital Statistics System covering all recorded live births in the United States from 2016 through 2023. They calculated trends in mean maternal age across birth orders (first, second, and third or higher-order births) and stratified patterns by maternal race and Hispanic origin as well as county-level urbanicity.
What was found
Between 2016 and 2023, the mean maternal age at first birth rose by 0.9 years, from 26.6 to 27.5 years. Mean age rose similarly for second births (up 1.0 year) and third/higher-order births (up 0.9 years). Mean age at first birth increased across all racial and ethnic groups (increases ranging from 0.4 to 1.4 years) and across all urbanicity classifications (increases of 0.7 to 0.9 years). In 2023, mean age at first birth was highest in large metropolitan counties (28.5 years) and lowest in noncore rural counties (24.8 years).
Why it matters
This report confirms a persistent demographic shift toward delayed childbearing in the United States, showing that the increase in maternal age is pervasive across all birth orders, racial and ethnic categories, and geographic settings.
Limits
The abstract does not report the total count of birth records analyzed. As a descriptive vital statistics report, it does not assess underlying socioeconomic, policy, educational, or healthcare factors driving the observed trends.
Cited by
- supports In the United States, at current prevailing fertility rates, a woman reaches a 50% cumulative probability of ever becoming a mother around age 27.