Fertility and Mortality
The reports included in this section analyze data from the Centers for Disease Control and the U.S. Census Bureau to provide insights into changes in fertility and mortality.
Utah’s Declining Fertility Rate
Fertility in the U.S. and Utah has steadily declined almost every year since the Great Recession in 2008. Final 2021 data revealed that the U.S. Total Fertility Rate (TFR) increased for the first time since 2014, along with 29 other states and Washington D.C. However, Utah’s TFR remained the same at 1.9.
Insight: Most of the Nation Experiences Increasing Fertility Rates in 2021, but Not Utah
Author: Emily Harris, Senior Demographer Note: The opinions expressed are those of the author alone and do not reflect an institutional position of the Gardner Institute. We hope the opinions shared contribute to the marketplace of ideas and help people as they formulate their own INFORMED DECISIONS™. How does that headline make you feel? Some will read it and think it’s positive, and some will read it and feel alarmed. Regardless of how you feel about increasing or decreasing fertility rates, I encourage you to continue reading so that you can begin to understand the nuances of fertility in America.[...]
A Decade of Declining Fertility in Utah, the Intermountain West, and the Nation: 2010-2020
Utah’s declining fertility rate made state headlines in 2016 when it no longer ranked highest in the country. Since then, Utah’s total fertility rate of 1.92 births per woman has declined nationally from highest to fourth highest, with rates in South Dakota (1.98), Nebraska (1.94), and North Dakota (1.93) exceeding Utah’s.
Demographic Insight: The Rise and Stall of Utah Life Expectancy
Utah life expectancy is a key indicator of health and equality. It rose considerably over the last century but faces new challenges. While the Covid-19 pandemic clearly influenced it, U.S. life expectancy had already stalled over the previous decade. Additionally, even though Utah has historically had a higher life expectancy than the nation, that advantage is disappearing. Female life expectancy is nearly identical for Utah and the U.S.
Utah’s Demographics and COVID-19 Death Rates: A Data Update
Utah has a lower COVID-19 per-capita death rate (also called the crude death rate, or CDR) than the U.S. as a whole. The national cumulative CDR for the year of April 1, 2020, through March 31, 2020, was 167 deaths per 100,000 people, while the Utah rate was 65 deaths per 100,000 people. A 2020 report attributed a quarter of the CDR difference up through July 1, 2021, to Utah’s younger population.
Fertility in Utah Fact Sheet: Recent Changes
Despite having the highest total fertility rate in the nation for many years, Utah’s total fertility rate is now the 3rd highest in the nation, behind North Dakota and South Dakota. Increases in fertility rates for mothers age 30 and over in the Dakotas, combined with substantial decreases in fertility rates for young mothers in Utah, have driven this shift.
Is Utah’s Relatively Low COVID-19 Death Rate Due to its Younger Population?
COVID-19 has upended our society. Health care professionals, public health researchers, first responders, and infectious disease specialists have made sacrifices and put in countless hours to keep us safe. How can demographers contribute to the effort?
Fertility in Utah since the Great Recession: The New Normal or a Pregnant Pause?
Utah is currently experiencing strong economic growth and has clearly recovered from the Great Recession; however, it appears the recession has left a lingering imprint on the state’s demographics. Starting in 2008, fertility rates in the state began to significantly decline and those declines continue. While Utah continues to have the highest fertility rate, youngest population, earliest age at first marriage, and largest household size in the nation, the shifts that began in 2008 may indicate a new trend in fertility rates for the state. We conclude Utah’s lower fertility rate is likely not a pregnant pause, but rather a[...]