ifstudies.org
2026-07-03
Between 2007 and 2025, the U.S. total fertility rate (TFR) dropped from a replacement level of 2.1 children per woman to 1.57 children per woman. And the drop in births among women ages 20 to 29 accounts for 78% of the overall decline in the total fertility rate.
Understanding the Total Fertility Rate (TFR)
The total fertility rate (TFR) is calculated from age-specific fertility rates of women in the current year, which are basically summed across each five-year age group and converted to a per woman rate. It answers the question "If today's birth patterns hold, how many children would an average woman have over her lifetime?" It is a real-time snapshot of the current fertility level, similar in approach to how life expectancy is calculated.