Hispanic Family Facts: Steep declines in fertility rates among Hispanic women
Dec 12, 2018
Hispanic Family Facts: Steep declines in fertility rates among Hispanic women
Hispanic women are experiencing some of the steepest declines in fertility, more than that seen by their non-Hispanic black and white counterparts, according to the CDC’s Births: Final Data for 2017. The general fertility rate (GFR)—the number of births per 1,000 women aged 15-44—among Hispanic women declined from 70.6 in 2016 to 67.6 in 2017. Still, the GFR among Hispanic women remains higher than that of U.S. women overall (60.3).
These declines are driven in part by decreased birth rates among adolescents and young adults. The teen birth rate has fallen to a new low every year since 2009, and the average age at first birth among U.S. women reached an all-time high of 26.8 years in 2017. The average age at first birth for Hispanic women also increased in 2017, to 24.8 years, though it varies substantially across Hispanic subgroups: average age at first birth rose to 24.2 for Mexican-origin women and 24.7 years for Puerto Rican-origin women. The average age at first birth did not change for women of Cuban origin (27.4 years) and Central and South American origin (26.5 years).
Copyright 2025 by the National Research Center on Hispanic Children & Families.
This website is supported by Grant Number 90PH0032 from the Office of Planning, Research & Evaluation within the Administration for Children and Families, a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services totaling $7.84 million with 99 percentage funded by ACF/HHS and 1 percentage funded by non-government sources. Neither the Administration for Children and Families nor any of its components operate, control, are responsible for, or necessarily endorse this website (including, without limitation, its content, technical infrastructure, and policies, and any services or tools provided). The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Administration for Children and Families and the Office of Planning, Research & Evaluation.