US birth rates are at record lows – even though the number of kids most Americans say they want has held steady
- Written by Sarah Hayford, Professor of Sociology; Director, Institute for Population Research, The Ohio State University

Birth rates are falling in the U.S. After the highs of the Baby Boom in the mid-20th century and the lows of the Baby Bust in the 1970s, birth rates were relatively stable for nearly 50 years. But during the Great Recession, from 2007-2009, birth rates declined...