New England is seeing a 'baby boomlet,' report finds
BOSTON - Every New England state saw an uptick in births between 2019 and 2021, according to a new report, defying a nationwide trend.
New England typically has the lowest birth rates in America, but only seven other states outside the region saw births increase over the same period, the Pew Charitable Trusts stated in its "baby boomlet" report.
New Hampshire saw a 7% rise in births from 2019, the highest increase in the nation. The Granite State and Tennessee were the only states to have more births in 2021 than in 2014, which is the last time births rose in the United States.
Massachusetts saw 69,142 births in 2021, a slight rise of just .04% from two years earlier. Connecticut saw a 4% increase, Rhode Island nearly a 3% rise and Maine births were up almost 2%.
Why are New England births rising in contrast to the rest of the country? Pew says that more highly educated couples in their 30s chose to use the opportunities afforded by remote work to start a family.
California, Hawaii and New Mexico saw the steepest declines in birth rates.