[Posted Jan. 23, 2008]

“Baby Boom” In 2006 As
U.S. Birth Rate Soars

      (Taylor Media Services) With the exception of Asian American females, women in America are having babies at a record rate. A review of the latest government fertility data by Washington, D.C.-based Taylor Media Services found that the 2006 fertility rate of 2.1 children per woman of child bearing age is the highest rate since 1971. The increase is being led by Hispanic women with a fertility rate of 3 children per woman.
      For African American females, the fertility rate in 2006 increased to 2.1 children per woman while that for Whites jumped to 1.9. Overall, there were 4.3 million births in 2006 with roughly 25 percent of that number being children born to Hispanic women.
      According to the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) the increased fertility rates are occurring across all age groups including teenagers. Historically, as nations get wealthier, women tend to have fewer children. Demographers, however, are not ready to say the 2006 figures represent a long term “baby boom.”

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