Sacramento birth rates fell in the pandemic and in 2022. See the trend in your ZIP code

The pandemic accelerated a decline in births in the Sacramento region — a trend that has not fully abated, preliminary state figures show.

About 26,320 babies were born to residents of the four-county region in 2019, according to the state Department of Public Health. That number dropped to 24,930 in 2020, a particularly steep decline amid years of steady decreases. It rose to 25,770 in 2021, but now it has fallen again.

About 25,330 babies were born to Sacramento-area residents in 2022, a drop of roughly 1,000, or 4%, preliminary state data show.

Falling birth rates can have consequences. They can lead to school closures and, in the long-term, labor shortages. When society has a large number of elderly residents and fewer younger residents, the burden on the younger generation is higher. (The trend can be mitigated by immigration.) That said, predicting labor market needs and social safety net parameters decades into the future is unreliable, and technology and public policy changes can mitigate some effects of the trend.

During the pandemic, many families concerned about their economic prospects put off having children. After a brief, incomplete rebound, the trend dovetailed into a longstanding decline in fertility rates across the developed world.

In the Sacramento region, among ZIP codes with at least 100 births in 2019, the largest declines in births came in 95832 (Meadowview), 95616 (Davis), 95818 (Upper Land Park) and 95822 (South Land Park). Each of those places saw declines in births of more than 15%.

Some ZIP codes saw increases in births. These were largely concentrated in suburbs east of Sacramento. The largest increases in births were in 95742 (Anatolia), 95834 (North Natomas) and 95630 (Folsom). Each of those places saw increases in births of more than 15%.

The trend was sharply stratified by age. In the Sacramento region, about 10,400 births occurred to residents under 30, down by nearly 1,600, or 13%, from 2019. Births to women 30 and older rose by about 600, or 4%.

This story was originally published February 21, 2023 at 11:04 AM.