An official website of the United States government
Here’s how you know
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock (
) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.
The stability in fertility rates among American women at the close of the century is in sharp contrast to the wide swings in fertility rates that occurred in preceding decades. Annual total fertility rates fell from almost 4.0 births per woman at the turn of the century to 2.2 births per woman during the Great Depression. They subsequently rose to a postwar peak of 3.7 births per woman in 1957, but fell again by half to 1.8 births per woman in the mid-1980s. With minor fluctuations, the rates have remained at approximately 2.0 births per woman over the last 20 years (the level required for the natural replacement of the population is about 2.1 births per woman).
Share
Related Information
Some content on this site is available in several different electronic formats. Some of the files may require a plug-in or additional software to view.
Top