The U.S. birth rate dropped for the sixth consecutive year in 2020, to the lowest point in the last 30 years, according to a report in May from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Experts initially expected to see a rise in the birth rate during the Covid-19 pandemic, because couples would be spending more time at home. The opposite happened, perhaps partially because potential parents feared that the coronavirus could have harmful effects on pregnant women and newborn babies. The drop in births was the most notable in November and December, when babies conceived in the early days of the pandemic would have been born. (Check here to see How Many People Were Born the Year You Were Born.)
Michigan, New York, and Washington, three states hit very hard by the first wave of Covid-19, were the ones with the lowest birth rates in 2020. Utah, Alaska, and Nebraska, which didn’t see the full force of the pandemic until later, had the highest. See how every state’s population has changed since 2010.
Click here to see the states where people had the most kids in 2020.
To identify the states where the most children were born in 2020, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed provisional data on the total number of births, by state of residence, from the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics’ Vital Statistics Rapid Release in May 2021.
With Covid-19 vaccines being distributed across the country and pandemic death rates dropping, some experts have speculated that the birth rate will rise in 2021, as couples who put off pregnancies now being willing to move forward.
50. Michigan
> Total births per 100,000 people in 2020: 38.5
> Births in 2020: 3,846
> Population in 2020: 10,077,331
[in-text-ad]
49. New York
> Total births per 100,000 people in 2020: 47.1
> Births in 2020: 9,172
> Population in 2020: 20,201,249
24/7 Wall St.
48. Washington
> Total births per 100,000 people in 2020: 109.9
> Births in 2020: 8,367
> Population in 2020: 7,705,281
47. Ohio
> Total births per 100,000 people in 2020: 111.0
> Births in 2020: 12,971
> Population in 2020: 11,799,448
[in-text-ad-2]
46. Iowa
> Total births per 100,000 people in 2020: 116.6
> Births in 2020: 3,680
> Population in 2020: 3,190,369
45. Indiana
> Total births per 100,000 people in 2020: 117.2
> Births in 2020: 7,887
> Population in 2020: 6,785,528
[in-text-ad]
44. Louisiana
> Total births per 100,000 people in 2020: 124.1
> Births in 2020: 5,770
> Population in 2020: 4,657,757
43. North Dakota
> Total births per 100,000 people in 2020: 139.0
> Births in 2020: 1,059
> Population in 2020: 779,094
42. Texas
> Total births per 100,000 people in 2020: 227.1
> Births in 2020: 65,857
> Population in 2020: 29,145,505
[in-text-ad-2]
41. Vermont
> Total births per 100,000 people in 2020: 820.0
> Births in 2020: 5,117
> Population in 2020: 643,077
40. Maine
> Total births per 100,000 people in 2020: 857.9
> Births in 2020: 11,532
> Population in 2020: 1,362,359
[in-text-ad]
39. New Hampshire
> Total births per 100,000 people in 2020: 865.8
> Births in 2020: 11,773
> Population in 2020: 1,377,529
24/7 Wall St.
38. Connecticut
> Total births per 100,000 people in 2020: 938.2
> Births in 2020: 33,448
> Population in 2020: 3,605,944
37. Oregon
> Total births per 100,000 people in 2020: 943.4
> Births in 2020: 39,792
> Population in 2020: 4,237,256
[in-text-ad-2]
36. Rhode Island
> Total births per 100,000 people in 2020: 953.6
> Births in 2020: 10,102
> Population in 2020: 1,097,379
35. West Virginia
> Total births per 100,000 people in 2020: 957.5
> Births in 2020: 17,159
> Population in 2020: 1,793,716
[in-text-ad]
34. Massachusetts
> Total births per 100,000 people in 2020: 963.8
> Births in 2020: 66,429
> Population in 2020: 7,029,917
33. Florida
> Total births per 100,000 people in 2020: 976.0
> Births in 2020: 209,612
> Population in 2020: 21,538,187
32. Montana
> Total births per 100,000 people in 2020: 1,009.1
> Births in 2020: 10,785
> Population in 2020: 1,084,225
[in-text-ad-2]
31. New Mexico
> Total births per 100,000 people in 2020: 1,016.6
> Births in 2020: 21,316
> Population in 2020: 2,117,522
30. Pennsylvania
> Total births per 100,000 people in 2020: 1,019.9
> Births in 2020: 130,562
> Population in 2020: 13,002,700
[in-text-ad]
29. Wisconsin
> Total births per 100,000 people in 2020: 1,038.9
> Births in 2020: 60,491
> Population in 2020: 5,893,718
24/7 Wall St.
28. Illinois
> Total births per 100,000 people in 2020: 1,051.2
> Births in 2020: 133,207
> Population in 2020: 12,812,508
27. Arizona
> Total births per 100,000 people in 2020: 1,056.8
> Births in 2020: 76,923
> Population in 2020: 7,151,502
[in-text-ad-2]
26. Wyoming
> Total births per 100,000 people in 2020: 1,057.1
> Births in 2020: 6,118
> Population in 2020: 576,851
25. Delaware
> Total births per 100,000 people in 2020: 1,061.4
> Births in 2020: 10,336
> Population in 2020: 989,948
[in-text-ad]
24. California
> Total births per 100,000 people in 2020: 1,062.0
> Births in 2020: 419,612
> Population in 2020: 39,538,223
23. Colorado
> Total births per 100,000 people in 2020: 1,067.8
> Births in 2020: 61,493
> Population in 2020: 5,773,714
22. South Carolina
> Total births per 100,000 people in 2020: 1,081.7
> Births in 2020: 55,693
> Population in 2020: 5,118,425
[in-text-ad-2]
21. New Jersey
> Total births per 100,000 people in 2020: 1,086.9
> Births in 2020: 96,543
> Population in 2020: 9,288,994
20. Nevada
> Total births per 100,000 people in 2020: 1,091.9
> Births in 2020: 33,632
> Population in 2020: 3,104,614
[in-text-ad]
19. Virginia
> Total births per 100,000 people in 2020: 1,105.9
> Births in 2020: 94,391
> Population in 2020: 8,631,393
24/7 Wall St.
18. Hawaii
> Total births per 100,000 people in 2020: 1,111.0
> Births in 2020: 15,730
> Population in 2020: 1,455,271
17. North Carolina
> Total births per 100,000 people in 2020: 1,112.4
> Births in 2020: 116,674
> Population in 2020: 10,439,388
[in-text-ad-2]
16. Minnesota
> Total births per 100,000 people in 2020: 1,124.0
> Births in 2020: 63,387
> Population in 2020: 5,706,494
15. Missouri
> Total births per 100,000 people in 2020: 1,128.1
> Births in 2020: 69,238
> Population in 2020: 6,154,913
[in-text-ad]
14. Maryland
> Total births per 100,000 people in 2020: 1,133.4
> Births in 2020: 68,523
> Population in 2020: 6,177,224
13. Georgia
> Total births per 100,000 people in 2020: 1,151.6
> Births in 2020: 122,266
> Population in 2020: 10,711,908
12. Tennessee
> Total births per 100,000 people in 2020: 1,151.8
> Births in 2020: 78,659
> Population in 2020: 6,910,840
[in-text-ad-2]
11. Kentucky
> Total births per 100,000 people in 2020: 1,154.5
> Births in 2020: 51,581
> Population in 2020: 4,505,836
10. Arkansas
> Total births per 100,000 people in 2020: 1,166.7
> Births in 2020: 35,210
> Population in 2020: 3,011,524
[in-text-ad]
9. Alabama
> Total births per 100,000 people in 2020: 1,175.4
> Births in 2020: 57,634
> Population in 2020: 5,024,279
24/7 Wall St.
8. Kansas
> Total births per 100,000 people in 2020: 1,179.4
> Births in 2020: 34,360
> Population in 2020: 2,937,880
7. Mississippi
> Total births per 100,000 people in 2020: 1,191.4
> Births in 2020: 35,457
> Population in 2020: 2,961,279
[in-text-ad-2]
6. Oklahoma
> Total births per 100,000 people in 2020: 1,197.7
> Births in 2020: 47,393
> Population in 2020: 3,959,353
5. Idaho
> Total births per 100,000 people in 2020: 1,204.2
> Births in 2020: 21,520
> Population in 2020: 1,839,106
[in-text-ad]
4. South Dakota
> Total births per 100,000 people in 2020: 1,238.0
> Births in 2020: 10,952
> Population in 2020: 886,667
3. Nebraska
> Total births per 100,000 people in 2020: 1,252.8
> Births in 2020: 24,235
> Population in 2020: 1,961,504
2. Alaska
> Total births per 100,000 people in 2020: 1,291.4
> Births in 2020: 9,447
> Population in 2020: 733,391
[in-text-ad-2]
1. Utah
> Total births per 100,000 people in 2020: 1,425.5
> Births in 2020: 45,702
> Population in 2020: 3,271,616
Get Ready To Retire (Sponsored)
Start by taking a quick retirement quiz from SmartAsset that will match you with up to 3 financial advisors that serve your area and beyond in 5 minutes, or less.
Each advisor has been vetted by SmartAsset and is held to a fiduciary standard to act in your best interests.
Here’s how it works:
1. Answer SmartAsset advisor match quiz
2. Review your pre-screened matches at your leisure. Check out the advisors’ profiles.
3. Speak with advisors at no cost to you. Have an introductory call on the phone or introduction in person and choose whom to work with in the future
Get started right here.
Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.