Birth Rates Decline During Recession, Especially Among Latinos
The research by the Pew Hispanic Center - based on data from the National Center for Health Statistics and the Census Bureau - found that the number of babies born in the United States has dropped to its lowest point in a decade, after hitting a peak in 2007.
Arizona had the deepest decline in the country, down by 7.2 percent.
"Latinos were particularly hard-hit by the recession in terms of employment and in terms of wealth," said Gretchen Livingston, the lead author of the report.
Since 2007, Latinos' wealth declined by 66 percent. In comparison, African Americans' wealth declined by 53 percent and whites' by 15 percent.
"Interestingly, Latinos also had the biggest birth rate decline," Livingston said. "Their birth rate declined by almost 6 percent just from 2008 until 2009."
A similar drop in the birth rate was witnessed during the Great Depression of the 1930s. If the past offers any insight, there might be a baby boom when the economy gets better.
