How Montana’s Plummeting Fertility Rates Shape Demographics And Ageing

U.S. fertility rates have been in decline the past few years. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the fertility rate hit a "record low" in 2024 in their report from last year.

The fertility rate for women aged 20-24 was 55.4% in 2023, which was a record low. The CDC also reports that last year was the second year in a row of declining fertility rates. There was a slight increase in the births between 2020-2021, but the past two years it has been on a decline across the nation.

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Montana's fertility rates have been decreasing at a much more steady rate. According to the March of Dimes, Montana's fertility rate has seen an almost steady decline since 2013. There were a few years with an increase; 2015 and 2021 both saw a slight rise. But overall the fertility rate in Montana has been on a decline.

Montana's Fertility Rates Continue to Drop

Overall Montana's fertility rate has dropped 15% from 67.2% to 52.2%, births per 1,000 women, from 2013 to 2023. The fertility rates used apply to women aged 15-44. As Montana's fertility rates decline, our state continues to age.

Montana Has One of the Oldest Populations

Montana has one of the oldest median ages in the country. The state with the oldest median age is Maine (45.1), followed by New Hampshire (43), West Virginia (42.9), Vermont (42.8), and Florida (42.4) rounding out the top five. Montana ranks ninth in median age, with a median of 40.5 years.

The youngest median population in the country is found in Utah at 31.2 years old, followed by Washington D.C. (34.3), Alaska (35), Texas (35.1), and North Dakota (35.5). Utah also has the highest fertility rate in the country.