US’s fertility rate has declined since 2007. It’s even worse in these states

Video above: Trump announces creation of a fertility benefit option, launch of moms.gov on May 11, 2026.

(NEXSTAR) – The nation’s fertility rate has been declining for nearly two decades, something that may at least be partially related to the device you may be reading this on.

Data released earlier this year showed the U.S. fertility rate hit a record low in 2025, reaching 53.1 births per 1,000 women aged 15-44. That’s down roughly 23% from 2007, according to data from the CDC.

Some of the decline could be attributed to the recession in the late 2000s — the fertility rate dropped by about 7% between 2007 and 2010 — and the COVID pandemic. Between 2020 and 2025, the fertility rate dropped by about 5%. 

The steady drop may also be at least slightly related to technological improvements, like the iPhone, a recently released working paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research suggests. In the paper, researchers argued that the rollout of Apple’s iPhone may........

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