The average age of U.S. moms is nearing 30, new CDC data shows
Women in the U.S. are waiting longer to have babies. For the first time, the average age for giving birth has risen to nearly 30, according to a new report.
The data, which comes from the National Vital Statistics System, was published on Friday in the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics report. Per the report, the average age for giving birth rose by nearly a year from 2016 to 2023. It went from 28.7 years old to 29.6. Likewise, the age for first-time mothers increased similarly over the same time period, from 26.6 to 27.5.
Interestingly, teen pregnancies fell, too. In 2016, they accounted for 11.8% of all births. In 2023, they made up only 8.7%.
The latest findings are in line with the fact that many people are delaying marriage until later in life. According to a 2021 Pew Research report, the average age for tying the knot has risen dramatically since the 1980s. The number of U.S. adults who were married by age 21 dropped from about 33% in 1980 to 6% in 2021. And marrying by age 25 plunged, too, from nearly 66% to 22%.
However, according to the same report, people aren’t just delaying marriage until their late 20s or even 30s. About 25%—a record number—were still unmarried at 40.
Of course, the fact that it’s become massively more expensive to have a family likely plays a role in women delaying having children, or not having any at all. A recent LendingTree analysis found that since 2023, the annual cost of raising a young child has jumped by nearly 36%. In 2025, the tab is around $30,000 per year. Over 18 years, raising a child costs $300,000 (though in several states, it’s even higher).
However, women also are increasingly becoming financially independent, and perhaps decentering the goal of marriage and motherhood at the same time. In 2024, 20% of homebuyers were single women, while only 8% of single men bought their own homes last year. And a 2019 Morgan Stanley report projected that by 2030, 45% of women between 25 and 44 will be single and child-free.
U.S. women are not the only ones delaying motherhood. According to recent government data, per The Guardian, Japanese women are doing the same. In 2024, the number of births in Japan dropped by 5.7% from the previous year, to 686,061. The number marks the lowest birth rate since the recordkeeping began in 1899.
The latest data comes as the Trump administration has recently floated the idea of incentivizing childbirth by giving families a $5,000 “baby bonus” to help offset the costs. Given that the hospital bills alone for giving birth in the U.S. can average around $3,000 (for a vaginal delivery with insurance), it’s unlikely the plan will persuade too many American women to have babies before they’re financially ready and able (or even at all).
