Number of children aged nine and younger

The number of children (nine and younger) in the United States has fallen. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the birth rate has dwindled from 16.7 births per 1000 individuals in 1990 to an estimated 11.6 births per 1000 individuals in 2021. This trend has been partially offset by the fact that the US population has grown, such that there are an estimated 3.6 million births in 2021, which is below the level in 1990 of 4.2 million births.

Growth in the number of children outpaced the longer-term historical average from 2006 to 2008. This was partially attributable to the economic boom that gave families confidence to support additional children. Alternatively, growth in the number of children slowed in 2009 as planned pregnancies were postponed amid the economic turmoil caused by the recession. Also, the 0.1% slide in 2011 was the first contraction since 2003, when the lingering effects of the dot-com bubble burst restrained this demographic group. Over the past decade, the American family has seen several other changes that have reduced the number of children under 9. As lifespans expand and with shifting attitudes too, individuals choose to have children later in life than previous generations. This has caused the gaps between generations to widen and the number of children to stagnate. Factors like a declining birthrate have also mitigated growth.