CDC: American Women Having Fewer Babies Than Ever

(CBS Local) — The nation's general fertility rate dropped to an all-time low last year, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC report found that the general fertility rate dropped two percent between 2017 to 2018 to 59.1 per one-thousand girls and women aged 15-44 nationwide.

"The 2018 general fertility rate fell to another all-time low for the United States," the researchers wrote in the report, which was published Wednesday.

By race, fertility rates fell 2% for white and black women, and 3% for Hispanic women.

General fertility rates in the U.S. in 2017 and 2018 (Source: NCHS, National Vital Statistics System, Natality)

Births among teens ages 15-19 fell 7%, with decreases of 4% among black teens and 8% among white and Hispanic teens.

The CDC also found the percentage of births delivered at less than full term (39 weeks) increased, with preterm births climbing to 10.02% and early-term births rising to 26.53% in 2018.

America's fertility rate, which has been on the decline in recent years, is now at the level where the nation cannot replace its existing population, according to a separate report published by the National Center for Health Statistics in January.