NBC News' Allison Linn: A Lower American Birth Rate in the Aftermath of the Recession

Allison Linn of NBC News takes a look at the travails of a childless Las Vegas couple--Sky Pearce and Bryan Haas--regarding the decision to have children in an era of economic uncertainty.  Lin tells their story in the larger context of the decline of the American birth rate.

In 2007, per Linn, the U.S. birth rate was 69.3 live births per 1000 women ages 15 to 44.  In the post-recession year of 2011, the rate had declined to 63.2.  Preliminary data for 2012 indicates that the rate remained the same at 63.2.

NBC News: Fewer Babies in the Wake of the Great Recession

"It’s common for people to have fewer kids when a recession hits, because they worry that they will lose their job or their home, or just not be able to afford another mouth to feed."

---Allison Linn, NBC News