America's Most & Least Fertile States

A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found that the total fertility rate in the U.S. stands at 1,765.5 births per 1,000 women, 16 percent below what's considered the level for the population to replace itself. There are major differences in fertility rates at state level.

The highest birth rate was recorded in South Dakota which has 2,227.5 births per 1,000 women while the lowest rate was in D.C. which had 1,421 births per 1,000 women. The report was based on birth certificate data from 2017 and the rates were measured as estimates of the number of births that a hypothetical group of 1,000 women would have over their lifetimes.