Study: Austin seeing lower birth rate than US average

AUSTIN (KXAN) — A recent research study looked at Census data for some of the largest U.S. cities to determine where birth rates and family sizes were the highest and lowest.

SmartAsset, a financial technology company, found Austin had one of the lowest birth rates in the country.

“Jobs and other incentives have driven people in and out of cities for decades. But local economies can also be affected by birth rates and the size of families,” the study said. “From medical facilities and schools, to other institutions and businesses, these two factors can influence both job and housing markets.”

Data from 2022 showed Austin had the lowest birth rate for a major city in Texas at 3.8%, as well as the smallest family size at 2.88 people per family.

The study looked at women aged 15 to 50, and in 2022, 285,094 women were in that category, 10,736 of which had a birth that year.

In 2021, the average family size in Austin was 2.94, and the birth rate was at 4.5%. During that year, there were 281,594 women aged between 15 and 50, according to the study, of those women, 12,540 had a birth.

While Austin ranked as one of the lowest, four other Texas cities ranked for the highest birth rates. Dallas came in second at 6.3%, El Paso in fifth at 5.9%, San Antonio in sixth at 5.8% and Houston in eighth at 5.6%.

“Fort Worth, El Paso and San Antonio also rank among the top 10 for largest family size with averages of 3.39, 3.38 and 3.34 respectively,” the study said.