North Carolina moms are getting older
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Moms in North Carolina are an average age of just over 29 when they give birth — up from 27 in 2003, according to provisional CDC data.
Why it matters: Increased access to fertility treatments and reliable birth control are helping more older moms have babies.
By the numbers: The U.S. birth rate for teenagers and women in their early 20s dropped to record lows in 2024, as the birth rate for women over 30 rose, according to new CDC data.
- Women aged 30-34 had a higher birth rate (95.4 births per 1,000 women) than those in their late 20s (91.4).
What they're saying: "People want to have predictable futures before they consider becoming parents, and there's a great deal of uncertainty about the future. And that's before you even factor in political polarization, climate change, wars, and so on," Carolina Population Center's Karen Guzzo told Axios in an email.
Read more: What parenting expert Emily Oster wants hopeful older parents to know