A new analysis finds that Americans in the Midwest are the busiest in bed.
Researchers from a financial technology company Smart assets examined census data from 37 major U.S. cities to determine which cities have the highest and lowest birth rates.
The team examined the number of women aged 15 to 50 in each city who had a child between 2021 and 2022 and then compared the data to the total number of women in that age range in each city.
Indianapolis – home of the Indy 500 – topped the list, with 6.5 percent of women giving birth in 2022, for just under 14,500 births.
Dallas and Las Vegas followed closely, with 6.3 percent women and 6.1 percent women, respectively.
Meanwhile, Seattle came in last, as only 2.6 percent of women ages 15 to 50 had a baby in 2022: 5,760.
Despite their relatively high numbers in the analysis, birth rates in the top cities were still below the national average of 1.6 births per woman. This figure has fallen to the lowest level in more than 100 years.
Indianapolis’ top spot could be attributed to the influx of people flocking to the area from major cities like New York and Los Angeles.
For example, an Indiana University analysis found that the state added nearly 30,000 new residents in 2023. And that same year, there were 7,510 more births than deaths. In 2022, there were 22,500 new residents.
Census data shows that New York City lost 78,000 residents in 2023, and the Los Angeles metro area lost 71,000 people.
Matthew Kinghorn, a senior demographer at Indiana University, said of this data, “Indiana’s growth was fueled by another year of exceptionally high net immigration.”
According to the study, the fastest growing counties were those surrounding Indianapolis.
In 2022, Indianapolis’ birth rate increased from 5.8 percent in 2021. However, the average family size was 3.12, down slightly from 2021’s 3.24.
In Dallas, the average family size was 3.3 and the birth rate increased slightly from 6.1 percent in 2021 to 6.3 percent in 2022.
And in Las Vegas, the percentage also went up: from 4.4 percent in 2021 to 6.1 percent. The average family size there was 3.3.
Fresno and El Paso rounded out the top five, both with 5.9 percent of women having a baby in 2022.
In Fresno this resulted in 7,955 births, along with 9,757 in El Paso.
Experts have warned that while birth rates are rising in some major cities, the national birth rate has been falling for some time
In Fresno, the average family size was 3.6 people, while in El Paso it was 3.4 people.
According to the US Census Bureau, the average family size in the US is 3.13 people.
Texas dominated the top 10, with four cities having the highest birth rates: Dallas, El Paso, San Antonio and Houston.
However, the largest city, Austin, had the fifth lowest birth rate, at 3.8 percent.
Meanwhile, Seattle ranked last for birth rate, with average family size at just 2.8 percent, down from 3.4 percent in 2021.
This low percentage may be due to Seattle’s high cost of living and the fact that the city is a hub for more career-oriented individuals, such as those working in technology.
Milwaukee, Boston, Portland and Austin rounded out the rest of the bottom five.
Large cities have long had lower birth rates than more suburban or rural areas, often due to higher living costs, better access to birth control, and less space for large families.
Birth rates in general are also declining in the US. In 2007, the national birth rate was 14.3 births per 1,000 inhabitants. By 2022, the last year of data, this had fallen to just 11.1 per 1,000 residents.
Experts believe this decline is due to many Americans choosing to focus on work over family, as well as a higher cost of living.