The western and southwestern states are experiencing a dramatic birth rate decline, with Arizona among the states leading the pack.
According to a report from Axios citing new CDC data, Arizona births went down 36.1% from 2007 to 2022, second only to Utah which experienced a decline of 36.2%.
Overall the country experienced a birth rate decline of nearly 23%.
According to the report, birth rates tend to fall when income rises, when there is better access to family planning resources, and when more women are in the workforce, though there are other factors.
CDC data shows the birth rate has been declining steadily for more than a decade, with only a few small increases throughout those years.
