Utah’s birth rate dipped to a historic low in 2014, continuing a downward trend that began during the Great Recession, new state data show.
The state’s decline mirrors a national trend, but new figures from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show Utah’s decrease is more pronounced since birth rates reached a peak in 2007.
Nationally, the birth rate dipped to 12.5 births per 1,000 people in 2014. That’s a 13 percent decrease from the peak in 2007. In Utah, the birth rate dipped to 17.4 births per 1,000 people in 2014. That’s an 18 percent decrease from the peak in 2007.
Utah still has the highest birth rate in the country, largely driven by a population base rooted in the Mormon culture that encourages larger families.
