The U.S. fertility rate fell to a record low in 2025, extending a two-decade decline as younger women have fewer children and more women wait until their 30s or 40s to become mothers. The general fertility rate dropped 1% from the previous year, according to new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. The rate for women ages 20 to 24 fell 6%, while births among teenagers declined 7%. Rates moved in the opposite direction among women ages 30 to 45, though not enough to offset the broader decline. The shift has economic consequences for families and communities, as the rising cost of housing, child care and health coverage complicates decisions about parenthood. In Vermont, Sarah Harris had her daughter at 37 last year. She said she was laid off four months after the birth and that the cost of raising a child helped persuade her that one was enough. “I think in another era or another life or another scenario, I might have had more children,” Harris said, describing the current moment as difficult for families making reproductive choices. The change also reflects shifting priorities and career paths. A Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta study released in September found that Gen Z women were substantially less likely than women in earlier generations to say they wanted children. It cited factors including expanded work opportunities, financial costs and concerns about maternal mortality. At the same time, more women are building careers and financial stability before having children. Dr. Tanise Branche, a Philadelphia labor-and-delivery medical director who is pregnant with her fourth child, said she began having children at 37 and expects to deliver her last at 43. The national trend is visible in the number of children: about 710,000 fewer babies were born in 2025 than at the 2007 peak, and the population under 18 fell by more than 1 million between 2010 and 2020. The Census Bureau put the nation’s median age at 39.4 in 2025, while some states, including Vermont, are experiencing population decline. For small communities, fewer children can mean pressure on schools and local services. Harris said she worries about the future of her town’s elementary school. Economists and family advocates have argued that affordable housing, day care and health insurance could help people who want children feel able to have them.