According to data from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), in 2002 there were 4,021,726 live births in the United States, 136,485 fewer than 1990. Between 1990 and 2002 the crude birth rate fell 17%, from 16.7 to 13.9 births per one thousand population. The fertility rate declined 9%, from 70.9 to 64.8 live births per one thousand women aged fifteen to forty-four. The most dramatic decline in fertility rate was the 24% drop among African-American women. (See Figure 2.1.)
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