A growing share of childless adults in the U.S. are saying they don't plan to ever have kids, a recent Pew survey found.

Why it matters: It could lead to major social and economic changes, such as more American adults reaching old age with little to no family to support them, Axios' Bryan Walsh reports.

By the numbers: About 44% of childless American adults under age 50 said it's not too likely — or not at all likely — that they will have kids, according to Pew's survey conducted in October.

• That's an increase of seven percentage points from 2018.

State of play: U.S. fertility was already at a record low before 2020 and it has continued to drop during the pandemic.

• Population grew just 0.35% in the year between July 1, 2019 and July 1, 2020, according to U.S. Census Bureau statistics released in April. That's the lowest annual growth rate since at least 1900.

Zoom in: Iowa births were down in 2020 for the sixth consecutive year, to 36,058 — marking the lowest number of births in the state since at least 1915, according to data released last month by the Iowa Department of Public Health.

Yes, but: Don't worry about our extinction just yet.

• Iowa economist Peter Orazem told Axios that the timing of the survey and pandemic-driven factors, such as difficulty obtaining health and child care, may have influenced the results.
• Babymaking will likely pick up, but don't expect a boom like what occurred after the Great Depression, he predicted.

The bottom line: Iowa births have generally trended downward for decades — and it's unlikely we'll see a major turnaround soon, Orazem said.

Stella and Asher are making a bid for the top spots on Iowa's top 20 most popular baby names.

• They entered the charts with the biggest gains from the previous year at #15 and #16, respectively.

Yes, but: They've still got a ways to go.

• Girls were named Stella 95 fewer times than the chart-topping Olivia.
• Boys are more than twice as likely to be named Oliver than Asher.

👋 Jason here. Hobnob Coffee and Wine Bar opened yesterday inside Hotel Fort Des Moines.

• It's across the hall from Proudfoot & Bird, 1000 Walnut St.

What I tried: A coffee ($2.50) and a quinoa bowl ($14), served with poached eggs, shallots and truffle relish.

• Thoughts: Tasty.

Hours: Daily, from 6am-2pm for now.

• The wine bar opens in February, a server said.

🤐 The identities of property owners who've requested their info be withheld from public searches is confidential, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled last week. The decision overturns multiple lower court rulings. (Iowa Capital Dispatch)

🏢 Landus will move its office headquarters from Ames to downtown DSM, at 220 SW 9th St., under a development agreement the City Council approved Monday. The deal includes a $250K forgivable loan for the agricultural co-op, Iowa's largest. (Council filing)

🏥 COVID-19 hospitalizations have decreased slightly in Iowa but remain high going into the holiday week. There were 788 people hospitalized on Monday, including 171 in intensive care. (AP)

🐕 Roxy the dog is credited with saving the lives of her Ankeny family by pestering them awake after the home's carbon monoxide detector went off. (WHO-TV)

🌽 Today's pun maker: Katie Greenstein of DSM.

👀 Check out who's hiring on our Job Board.

1. Senior manager, business process management at Collins Aerospace.
2. Technical lead at Assist RX.

Want more opportunities? Check out our Job Board.

Hiring? Post a job.

More than 130 homes on the east side of DSM returned to residential zoning last night under a decision approved by the City Council.

• It reverses a 2019 decision that had added them into an industrial area.

Why it matters: Homes in industrial zones often can't obtain city permits to be properly fixed or modernized after a disaster, neighborhood officials told Axios back in March.

• Getting loan approval was also more difficult because of the zoning, they said.

State of play: Most homeowners didn't realize what the changes meant for their properties or weren't fully informed when the zoning classifications changed, Councilperson Linda Westergaard told us last spring.

Details: The area is along E. 21st St. between Guthrie Ave. and Interstate 235.

• A second area near E. University Ave. and the interstate was zoned from business-use to a "neighborhood mix district."

📍 Check your zone: DSM zoning can be reviewed by address on the city's website.

DSM City Councilperson Bill Gray sported this look at a council meeting yesterday that he said was in memory of former Hawkeyes football coach Hayden Fry, who died two years ago.

• The faux mustache was among the swag Gray picked up from the University of Iowa.

Of note: Yesterday was Gray's last regular council meeting and city staff held a public farewell reception for him.

• He was defeated last month by Indira Sheumaker, who takes office in January.