MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WGNS Radio) - New birth data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows the number of babies born in the United States declined by 1% between 2024 and 2025. The decrease indicates a total of 3,606,400 births occurred in the United States last year, which adds up to about 22,500 fewer babies being born between 2024 and 2025.
In 2024, data shows Tennessee ranked 12th in fertility rates across the U.S., with 58.5 babies born for every 1,000 women between the ages of 15 and 44. That same year, South Dakota had the highest fertility rate at 66.7, while Vermont had the lowest rate at 41.7.
If the District of Columbia were included in the count, Washington, D.C., would be on the very bottom of the list, with a fertility rate of 39.8 births for every 1,000 women between the ages of 15 and 44.
Despite the population growth in Rutherford County, the number of babies born has fallen in recent years. CDC numbers show the drop went from 58.5 births per 1,000 females in 2024 to 53.1 births per 1,000 women between the ages of 15 and 44 in 2025.
In the City of Murfreesboro, birth numbers have also seen a slight dip. The down-slide has given the local hospital time to catch up with population growth and expand its labor and delivery wing to accommodate future needs... That was Daphne David, Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford’s president and CEO. David took the reins of the hospital on Medical Center Parkway one year and two months ago.
According to David, the most recent count of babies born last year in Murfreesboro was around 115 fewer than the number of births recorded two years ago... In recent reporting periods, the hospital recorded exactly 3,485 live births.
The first phase of construction in the labor and delivery expansion project began at the end of 2024 with a $9 million investment to accommodate Rutherford County’s youngest population. That same year, previous CEO Gordon B. Ferguson stated, “We care for thousands of growing families each year, including more than 3,600 births last year alone,” referring to the newborns welcomed into the city in 2023.
The age of new mothers is also changing. We asked OB/GYN Dr. Daniele Wear, with Women’s Health Specialists in Murfreesboro, if she is seeing more women having children later in life... Dr. Wear said the reasons behind having children later in life are multifactorial. She said it can be tied to marriage occurring later in life, career advancement, or expectant mothers focusing on continuing their education. Others have delayed pregnancy because of financial concerns or because they want to establish a home first.
Out of all 95 counties in the Volunteer State, Rutherford County was most recently ranked as having the 14th highest number of births in Tennessee. With the scale rooted in the percentage of newborns compared to the percentage of women between the ages of 15 and 44, Montgomery County holds the number one position for births in the state. Davidson County comes in at number two on the list, followed by Shelby County in third and Bedford County in fourth.
Rutherford County Over the Years: Rutherford County’s birth totals reflect major growth over the past two decades. In 1999, the county recorded 2,716 births. By 2007, that number had climbed to 3,976. Rutherford County reached 4,230 births in 2019 and recorded 4,709 births in 2020 before dropping to 4,277 in 2021.
U.S. Babies Over the Years: Nationwide in the 1980s, roughly 29% of first-time mothers gave birth while they were still teenagers. By the 1990s, that number had increased by another 1%, with first-time moms having their first child at age 19 or younger, according to the CDC.
It was not until 1995 that the first sizable age adjustment occurred. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reported that the largest percentage of first-time mothers were 24 to 25 years old for the first time in 1995. The National Vital Statistics System indicates the age of first-time mothers inched upward to 25 between 2000 and 2004, but then took a dip in 2006, falling back to age 24 for the largest percentage of first-time mothers.
Today, the age of first-time mothers, or women who are currently pregnant with their first child, appears to be changing again. Some studies indicate 40% of first-time mothers had their first child between the ages of 30 and 39, while 51.7% of mothers in the U.S. had their first child between the ages of 20 and 27. Making up a smaller piece of the pie are mothers who had their first child at age 40 or older. Data from one study two years ago indicates that 2.8% of moms had their first child at age 40, meaning many of those newborns are now entering the so-called “terrible twos.”
MORE DETAILS NATIONWIDE: The provisional number of births across the United States in 2025 has been released, and the data shows a 1% decline between 2024 and 2025. Overall, the drop added up to just over 22,500 births in the U.S., which equals a little more than 3.60 million new babies born in 2025, compared to about 3.63 million babies born in 2024. Accordingly, the general fertility rate nationwide was down to 53.1 births for every 1,000 females in the 15-to-44 age group.
Interestingly, when the CDC focused on the fertility rate for teenagers across the U.S., that number showed a sharper decline. Between 2024 and 2025, teen fertility rates for females ages 15 to 17 dropped by 11%, while the birth rate for older teens, ages 18 and 19, went down by 7%.
Also of importance, the nationwide number of cesarean deliveries increased to 32.5% in 2025, up from 32.4% in 2024. The low-risk cesarean delivery rate rose to 26.9% in 2025, compared to 26.6% in 2024. The preterm birth rate was 10.41% in 2025, unchanged from 2024.
- Listen to our most recent podcast with Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford HERE.
