Chattanooga Times Free Press

Tennessee is among only 2 states showing gains in births in the past 5 years

Tennessee and New Hampshire are the only two states where births increased over the past five years in the United States, according to federal health data.

Nationwide from

2016 through 2021, the number of births in America dropped by 7.3% as couples put off having children and family sizes continued to shrink.

The online web service QuoteWizard, which compiled the state rankings on births, said the price of having a baby may also be discouraging some births.

“Depending on where you live, having a child can cost between $21,000 and $37,000 in the first year alone and that’s just for labor, health insurance and child care,” Nick VinZant, a senior research analyst at QuoteWizard, wrote in a report on the birth trends among the states. “If we add in unexpected costs, having a child can cost hundreds of thousands more.”

VinZant said societal trends, the economy and lower infant mortality rates also play a role in the birthing trends.

The top and bottom states for birth rate growth were:

Biggest increases

1. New Hampshire, up 2.8%

2. Tennessee, up 1.1%

3. Idaho, down 0.2%

4. South Carolina, down 0.4%

5. North Carolina, down 0.8%

Largest decreases

1. Alaska, down 17.4%

2. Wyoming, down 15,7%

3. New Mexico, 15.3% 4. Illinois, down 14.5%

5. California, down 14.1%

BUSINESS

en-us

2023-01-31T08:00:00.0000000Z

2023-01-31T08:00:00.0000000Z

https://edition.timesfreepress.com/article/282114935716065

WEHCO Media