US women waiting longer to have children, CDC data shows
The age of motherhood in America is steadily climbing, with new mothers waiting longer to have their first child, according to a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study.
The average age for all U.S. mothers giving birth reached nearly 30 years (29.6) in 2023, marking a significant increase from 28.7 in 2016. First-time mothers are now typically 27.5 years old, up from 26.6 in 2016.
This upward trend isn't new – it's part of a decades-long shift in American family planning. Since 1970, when the average first-time mother was just 21.4 years old, the age has steadily increased, with the most dramatic rises occurring after 2009.
The report reveals large demographic and geographic differences in maternal age. Women in large metropolitan areas tend to have their first child at 28.5 years, while those in the most rural areas start families nearly four years earlier, at 24.8 years.
The trend toward later motherhood spans across all racial and ethnic groups, though significant disparities exist. Asian women had the highest average age for first-time births at 31.5 years in 2023, showing the largest increase of 1.4 years since 2016. White women averaged 28.3 years at first birth in 2023, up from 27.4 in 2016. Black and Hispanic women had similar average ages for first-time births at 25.9 and 25.7 years, respectively, in 2023, both showing roughly a one-year increase from 2016.
The shift toward later parenthood is particularly evident in certain age groups. Between 2016 and 2023, first births among women 35 and older increased by 25%, while births among those less than 25 years old dropped by 26%. The rate remained stable for women between 25 and 29 years old.
Dr. Andrei Rebarber, director of Maternal-Fetal Medicine at Mount Sinai West, has observed this trend firsthand in New York City.
"There probably are multiple factors that have affected this statistic," Rebarber said in a statement to ABC News. "Pregnant people are choosing when to have their children often based on financial stability, timing of stable relationships, various personal goals, and career aspirations."
Rebarber, who also serves as president of Maternal Fetal Medicine Associates, PLLC, and Carnegie Imaging for Women, PLLC, points to technological advances as another key factor.
"Advances in reproductive technologies allow patients to have greater control over their reproduction timing and are under less pressure to reproduce at earlier maternal ages," he notes.
