Utah is facing one of the biggest in the nation. And while many hoped that the pandemic would help birth rates recover from their decline as a result of the 2008 recession, not only did they not recover, instead .

Having multiple children in a family is something that Utah has been known for, for generations. Given the high rate of religious families that live in the area, including those who belong to the Latter-day Saints who tend to have larger families, in the past, it was not uncommon for the normal family size to have seven children, according to the . However, as a result of the 2008 Great Recession, those numbers began to decline and have not recovered since.

According to , those who are in their teens and twenties have seen the greatest decline when it comes to having babies. Those who are in their have seen a slight increase, but because these families are having babies later, they are having fewer children. This means that the fertility rates will not be positively impacted by this portion of the population.

While the state continues to have a higher fertility rate than the nation as a whole with 1.99 children born per couple versus an of 1.71, according to the Washington Examiner, this is still below what is necessary to sustain the population. As a result, when the population begins to age in Utah, like in the rest of the country, there will not be enough young people to fill the roles of those retiring from their jobs. This negatively affects the economy, according to And with the population aging, this not only puts a strain on programs for those 65 and older, but it also puts more strain on families who will have to care for their aging parents. When this happens, fewer babies tend to be born as well.

RELATED:

With the Great Recession came the realization for many families that dual incomes were necessary to sustain their household. As such, women who would have been multiple babies in their twenties began putting off having babies until they were more established in their careers. And while this did not stop them from having babies, the family sizes in Utah began to decline. While the state still has the highest average household size in the nation, according to , the size now pales in comparison to what it was in the past.

The pandemic did not provide the baby boom the state was hoping for. Instead, families in Utah, much like in other states, were fearful of what their financial future looked like. As such, couples decided to put off having babies until life proved to be more stable.

There is also the impact of people from out of state moving in that has caused fewer babies to be born, per the Washington Examiner. This is because when people move in from states where the real estate market is more expensive, that drives housing prices up. And when life becomes more expensive, fewer babies can be provided for.

Though the housing market is slowing down, according to , the prices have still remained higher than they were one year ago. And with no projections for the prices to go down, this will continue to negatively impact the fertility rate in the state.

The pandemic did not spare any state from the baby bust. And given that many are still digging out from the negative financial impact the pandemic caused, it is not likely that there will be increased fertility rates seen anytime soon.

Source: , ,