Trump reportedly ponders $5K baby bonus as US fertility rate remains near record low
FILE - Newborn baby sleeping at Saint Joseph Hospital in Denver, Colorado on Tuesday, April 1, 2025. (Photo by Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
U.S. births rose slightly last year, but experts don’t see it as evidence of reversing a long-term decline.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration is reportedly discussing ways to incentivize increasing the birth rate.
US birth rate
The backstory:
In 2023, births in the U.S. were at their lowest one-year tally since 1979, with a little under 3.6 million babies born that year.
By the numbers:
In 2024, the number of births did increase in the U.S. – but only by about 1%, bringing the provisional number of births to 3.62 million, according to a new CDC report.
What they're saying:
Experts don’t see the uptick as evidence that the long-term decline is reversing.
"I’d be hesitant to read much into the 2023-24 increase, and certainly not as an indication of a reversal of the trend towards lower or declining U.S. fertility," Hans-Peter Kohler, a University of Pennsylvania sociologist who studies family demographics, told The Associated Press in March when the preliminary data was released by the CDC.
Big picture view:
U.S. births and birth rates have been falling for years. They dropped most years after the 2008-09 recession, aside from a 2014 uptick. They also dropped in 2020, the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, then rose for two straight years after that, an increase experts partly attributed to pregnancies put off amid the pandemic.
Dig deeper:
The average age of mothers at first birth has continued to rise, hitting 27 1/2 years. It was 21 1/2 in the early 1970s, before beginning a steady climb.
Birth rates have long been falling for teenagers and younger women, but rising for women in their 30s and 40s — a reflection of women pursuing education and careers before trying to start families, experts say.
US fertility rate
By the definition:
The fertility rate is a measure of how many births are occurring among the population of women who are likely to have children.
By the numbers:
The fertility rate in the U.S. in 2024 was 54.6 births per 1,000 females ages 15–44, an increase of less than 1% from 2023.
Big picture view:
The rate declined by 2% per year from 2014 to 2020 and has generally fluctuated since then.
RELATED: US fertility rate drops to record low in 2024, CDC says – here’s what that means
China fertility rate
For comparison:
China has a low fertility rate amid an aging and decreasing population.
The backstory:
China’s population has been decreasing for the last three years, and the country is facing an aging population and an emerging shortage of working age people.
Similar to the U.S., rising costs of living are causing young people to put off or rule out marriage and childbirth while pursuing higher education and careers.
Dig deeper:
Another factor affecting China’s population was its "one-child" policy that was in effect for 35 years before being eased in 2015. The policy has been blamed for skewing the gender balance, forcing women into unwanted abortions and bringing about a rapidly aging workforce.
By the numbers:
The fertility rate in China in 2024 was a reported 6.77 births per 1,000 people, according to Statista and other various reports.
Trump $5,000 baby bonus
Meanwhile:
Back in America, the Trump administration has been evaluating ways to incentivize more Americans to get married and have more children amid declining birth rates, The New York Times reported earlier this week, and that one of those incentives includes a $5,000 cash "baby bonus" to every American mother after delivery.
What they're saying:
President Donald Trump reportedly endorsed the idea Tuesday.
"Sounds like a good idea to me," Trump reportedly told The Post in the Oval Office when asked about the Times’ report.
Dig deeper:
Other suggested incentives reported by The New York Times included reserving scholarships for the Fulbright program, and a government-funded program that educates women on their menstrual cycles.
The Source: Information in this article was taken from a CDC report released April 2025 that analyzed 2024 birth records by the National Center for Health Statistics. Information on the reported baby bonus was taken from a New York Times report that spoke with four anonymous sources familiar with the conversation. Background information about birth rates in the U.S. and China was taken from The Associated Press.