May 7, 2025 - Health
When U.S. women become moms
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First-time U.S. mothers were an average of 27.5 years old in 2023, per CDC data.
Why it matters: That's up from 21.4 in 1970 — a notable shift over the decades, reflecting major societal changes in women's priorities, expectations, access to birth control and fertility treatments and more.
Zoom in: Washington, D.C. (30.8); Massachusetts (30) and New Jersey (29.4) had the highest average ages for first-time mothers in 2023.
- Mississippi (24.5), Arkansas (24.9) and Oklahoma (25.2) had the lowest.
Go deeper: The birth rate for teenagers and women in their early 20s dropped to record lows last year, Axios' Carly Mallenbaum reports, while the birth rate for women over 30 rose.
