The Nation : Birthrate Drops Sharply

The birthrate in the United States dropped sharply last year--to the lowest point this decade--except among women between 30 and 34, the Census Bureau reported. The birthrate in the 12-month period ending June, 1984, was estimated at 65.8 births per 1,000 women between the ages of 18 and 44, a decline of 7.4 births from the previous year and the lowest figure in the 1980s. The rate was 71.1 births in 1980, 70.9 births in 1981, 70.5 in 1982 and 73.2 in 1983. Birthrates for Latino (86.1) and black women (72.2) were significantly higher, as were those for women from lower-income families. Forty-two percent of all the women said they had given birth for the first time.