It costs a lot to raise a kid -- about $235,000 from birth to age 17, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. So, it figures that in a down economy folks are putting off having babies.
The Associated Press reports birth rates fell slightly in the United States last year -- by 1 percent, which is a bit less than the 2- and 3-percent declines seen in the past few years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"It may be that the effect of the recession is slowly coming to an end," demographer Carl Haub of the Population Reference Bureau tells the news service. Hooray! Now we can start putting all our extra income into college funds again!
Birth rates in America were highest in 2007, with more than 4.3 million babies entering the world, AP adds, noting 4 million babies were born in 2011.
Here are some of the key findings, according to the CDC report:
--Birth rates for Hispanic women were down 6 percent, down 2 percent for black women, unchanged for white women and rates rose slightly for Asian American and Pacific Islander women.
--In 2011, teen births were down 8 percent from 2010 -- the lowest rate recorded in nearly 70 years.
--The average number of just two children per woman is up a tick over 2011's average of just below 1.9.
--C-section rates in America -- 33 percent -- held steady in 2011, leading officials to believe the procedure may have hit its peak.
