More women gave birth in 2021 than in 2020, according to a new analysis from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC says there were more than 3,600,000 births in the U.S. in 2021, a 1% increase from 2020. However, that's still below pre-pandemic levels as 2020 saw a 4% drop from 2019.
The study also noted that the age of first-time mothers increased in 2021. The median age for a mother's first birth was 27.3 years, a record high. That's up from 27.1 years in 2020.
Teen birth rates declined in 29 states, according to the CDC, and remained unchanged in the remaining states. Maine's teen birth rate declined by 24%, the most
of any state, the study notes.
Most new mothers gave birth to one child. However, twins accounted for more than 114,000 births. There were less than 3,000 sets of triplets or higher-order multiples born in 2021, according to the study.
Giving birth in the U.S. is not cheap. It costs around $19,000, according to the Peterson-Kaiser Family Foundation Health System Tracker. Health insurance typically picks up some of that cost.
