US Birth Rate Falls for 2nd Straight Year

With the fragile state of the US economy causing most people to make cutbacks, even the baby-making business has seen a decline. The number of babies born in the United States dropped 2.6% last year, according to a recent study by the National Center for Health Statistics.

The US birth rate fell to 13.5 births for every 1,000 people last year, from 13.9 births in 2008, and 14.3 births in 2007. The number of babies born in America dropped to 4,136,000 in 2009, from 4,247,000 in 2008. The declining numbers come as no surprise to Andrew Cherlin, a sociology professor at Johns Hopkins University.

"The birth rate is falling because of the Great Recession. When people are unsure of their financial future, they tend to postpone having children," Cherlin told CNN.com. "It's stronger now than in the last couple of recessions because this is a stronger recession."

During the Great Depression of the 1930s, roughly 20% of women never had children. In Cherlin’s opinion, it's likely the US will reach that number again.

"I think it's likely to be a few years before this turns around," Cherlin confessed.