The US fertility rate dropped to 56 births per 1,000 women last year. Meanwhile, the national marriage rate has fallen by nearly half since the turn of the century. These figures illustrate the shifting dynamics of American life and mortality.
Key Takeaways
- In 2022, the National Vital Statistics System (NVSS) registered 3,667,758 live births in the United States
- In 2022, NVSS recorded 3,464,231 deaths in the US
- Divorce rate 2021 NVSS: 2.5 per 1,000 population
- NVSS funding from CDC: 100% federal support 2023
- In 2021, NVSS marriage rate was 5.1 per 1,000 population
- NVSS processed over 14 million vital records annually across US states 2022
Vital statistics show how births and deaths shape community health, guiding smarter public health decisions.
Related reading
01 · Category
Birth Statistics30 stats
01
In 2022, the National Vital Statistics System (NVSS) registered 3,667,758 live births in the United States
02
The crude birth rate in the US for 2022 was 11.0 per 1,000 population according to NVSS data
03
Fertility rate for US women aged 15-44 in 2022 dropped to 56.0 births per 1,000 women, NVSS report
04
In 2021, twin birth rate was 31.3 per 1,000 live births per NVSS
05
Triplet+ birth rate in 2021 was 1.3 per 10,000 live births via NVSS
06
Preterm birth rate (before 37 weeks) in 2022 was 10.41% of live births, NVSS
07
Low birthweight (<2500g) rate in 2022 was 6.99% per NVSS data
08
Infant mortality rate in 2022 provisional was 5.60 per 1,000 live births, NVSS
09
Neonatal mortality rate (0-27 days) 2021 was 3.55 per 1,000 live births
10
Postneonatal mortality rate (28-365 days) 2021 was 1.98 per 1,000, NVSS
11
Maternal mortality rate 2021 was 32.9 deaths per 100,000 live births, NVSS
12
Cesarean delivery rate in 2022 was 32.1% of live births
13
Vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) rate 2022 was 12.0%, NVSS
14
First birth rate for women 15-44 in 2022 was 26.0 per 1,000
15
Birth rate for teenagers 15-19 in 2022 was 13.6 per 1,000 females, NVSS
16
Birth rate for ages 40-44 in 2022 increased to 12.7 per 1,000
17
In 2022, California NVSS reported 457,000 live births, highest state
18
Texas NVSS births 2022: 418,000 live births
19
New York NVSS births 2022: 212,000
20
Florida NVSS births 2022: 221,000 live births
21
Mean age of mother at birth 2022: 30.5 years nationally, NVSS
22
Unmarried birth ratio 2022: 39.8% of live births
23
Prenatal care in first trimester 2022: 79.5% of live births, NVSS
24
No prenatal care percentage 2022: 1.0%
25
Gestational diabetes reported on birth certificates 2022: 9.7%, NVSS
26
Hypertensive disorders in pregnancy 2022: 13.2%
27
Congenital heart defects birth prevalence 2021: 9.5 per 1,000 live births
28
Down syndrome prevalence 2021: 1.4 per 1,000 live births, NVSS
29
Neural tube defects 2021: 0.6 per 1,000 live births
30
Live birth sex ratio 2022: 1,050 males per 1,000 females, NVSS
Interpretation
Birth Statistics Interpretation
The 2022 data paints a picture of American births as a story of cautious hope: while we're having slightly fewer babies at an older age, and celebrating more twins, we are also starkly reminded of our work ahead by a persistently high maternal mortality rate and disparities in prenatal care.
02 · Category
Death Statistics29 stats
01
In 2022, NVSS recorded 3,464,231 deaths in the US
02
Crude death rate 2022: 9.08 per 1,000 population, NVSS
03
Age-adjusted death rate 2022 provisional: 798.8 per 100,000
04
Heart disease leading cause 2022: 695,547 deaths (19.7%), NVSS
05
Cancer second leading cause 2022: 605,427 deaths (17.1%)
06
COVID-19 deaths 2022: 178,932 (8.0% provisional), NVSS
07
Accidents (unintentional injuries) 2022: 222,518 deaths
08
Stroke deaths 2022: 162,893 (4.6%), NVSS
09
Chronic lower respiratory diseases 2022: 142,342 deaths
10
Alzheimer disease 2022: 119,399 deaths, NVSS
11
Diabetes deaths 2022: 103,294 (2.9%)
12
Drug overdose deaths 2022 provisional: 107,941, NVSS
13
Suicide deaths 2022: 49,369 (13.8 per 100,000)
14
Homicide deaths 2022: 24,849, NVSS
15
Life expectancy at birth 2022 provisional: 77.5 years
16
Infant mortality rate 2022: 5.60 per 1,000 live births
17
Under-5 mortality rate 2021: 6.4 per 1,000 live births, NVSS
18
Death rate ages 85+ 2022: 15,203.9 per 100,000
19
Death rate ages 65-74 2022: 1,373.5 per 100,000, NVSS
20
Male life expectancy 2022: 74.8 years provisional
21
Female life expectancy 2022: 80.2 years, NVSS
22
California deaths 2022 NVSS: 313,000
23
Texas deaths 2022: 283,000
24
Florida deaths 2022: 295,000, NVSS
25
New York deaths 2022: 194,000
26
Opioid-involved overdose deaths 2022: 81,806 provisional
27
Firearm-related deaths 2022: 48,830 (14.0 per 100,000), NVSS
28
Motor vehicle traffic deaths 2022: 42,514
29
Alcohol-induced deaths 2022: 17,703, NVSS
Interpretation
Death Statistics Interpretation
While heart disease and cancer continue to lead the grim parade of American mortality, a closer look at the data reveals we are also, in significant numbers, accidentally, intentionally, and overdosing our way to an early curtain call, with men notably rushing ahead to the exit.
03 · Category
Divorce Statistics16 stats
01
Divorce rate 2021 NVSS: 2.5 per 1,000 population
02
Total divorces 2021: 689,308 per NVSS
03
Highest divorce rate state 2021: Arkansas 3.4 per 1,000
04
Lowest divorce rate 2021: Massachusetts 1.0 per 1,000, NVSS
05
Median duration of marriage to divorce 2021: 8.0 years
06
Divorces per 1,000 married women 15+: 15.1 in 2021, NVSS
07
Divorces involving children under 18: 32% in 2021 data
08
California divorces 2021: 68,000
09
Texas divorces 2021: 72,000, NVSS
10
Florida divorces 2021: 57,000
11
First divorces percentage 2021: 68% of total
12
Divorce rate decline 2000-2021: 52% drop, NVSS
13
Female petitioner in 70% of divorces 2021
14
January peak divorce month 2021: 13.5%, NVSS
15
Divorces by age 45-54 highest volume 2021: 28%
16
Crude divorce-marriage ratio 2021: 0.41
Interpretation
Divorce Statistics Interpretation
While Arkansas led the nation in 2021 with a divorce rate of 3.4 per 1,000 people, the national rate of 2.5 shows that, after a 52% decline since 2000, the institution of marriage is perhaps less like a thrilling rollercoaster and more like a moderately predictable road trip where, statistically speaking, many couples decide to get out and walk after about eight years.
More related reading
04 · Category
Funding11 stats
01
NVSS funding from CDC: 100% federal support 2023
02
NCHS total budget FY2023: $172 million including NVSS
03
State vital records funding avg: $50M per large state 2022
04
Federal grants to NVSS states: $10M annually for EDR
05
NVSS research grants awarded 2022: 25 projects $2M
06
User fees for vital records copies: $20-30 avg nationwide 2023
07
NVSS IT infrastructure budget: $5M FY2023
08
State-local funding share for vital stats: 60% operations 2022
09
NVSS data dissemination no-cost policy 100%
10
Philanthropic support to NVSS: minimal <1% budget
11
Cost recovery from record sales: 20% state budgets 2022
Interpretation
Funding Interpretation
While its primary funding stream is purely federal, the National Vital Statistics System is a bizarrely economical workhorse, managing our nation's life and death data on a shoestring budget compared to state-level costs, all while disseminating its findings for free.
05 · Category
Marriage Statistics19 stats
01
In 2021, NVSS marriage rate was 5.1 per 1,000 population
02
Total marriages 2021: 1,676,911 per NVSS
03
Nevada highest marriage rate 2021: 25.1 per 1,000
04
Hawaii marriage rate 2021: 12.5 per 1,000 population, NVSS
05
Median age at first marriage males 2021: 30.1 years
06
Median age first marriage females 2021: 28.2 years, NVSS
07
Marriages per 1,000 unmarried females 15+ 2021: 31.1
08
Total marriage certificates issued 2020: 2,115,502 (prelim)
09
Utah marriage rate 2021: 9.9 per 1,000, NVSS
10
California marriages 2021: 177,000
11
Texas marriages 2021: 162,000, NVSS
12
Florida marriages 2021: 124,000
13
New York marriages 2021: 95,000, NVSS
14
Same-sex marriages 2019: 28,673 estimated via NVSS
15
Remarriage rate among marriages 2021: about 40% second or higher
16
Marriage rate decline 2000-2021: 44% drop nationally, NVSS
17
Weekend marriages peak Saturday 35% in 2019 data
18
June most popular marriage month 2021: 11.5% of annual, NVSS
19
International marriages NVSS tracks: 5-10% involve foreign-born
Interpretation
Marriage Statistics Interpretation
While Nevada's 25.1 per 1,000 marriage rate suggests Americans are still keen on the institution, they're just taking their sweet time and increasingly going back for seconds, as evidenced by the national median age climbing past 30 for men and a 44% overall decline since 2000.
06 · Category
Operations20 stats
01
NVSS processed over 14 million vital records annually across US states 2022
02
100% of US birth certificates registered via NVSS state systems 2022
03
NVSS death registration completeness: 99.5% within 1 year
04
Average processing time for birth cert: 10 days in NVSS systems 2023
05
NVSS electronic death registration (EDR) adoption: 98% states 2023
06
Annual NVSS data releases: 50+ reports and tables 2022
07
NVSS staff at NCHS: 150+ full-time equivalents 2023 budget
08
Cost per vital record processed NVSS avg: $2.502022 est.
09
NVSS data used in 90% US Census demographic estimates
10
State vital stats offices: 57 registration areas 2023
11
NVSS fetal death registration: 50 states + DC 2022
12
Annual NVSS training sessions for states: 20+ workshops
13
NVSS data validation error rate: <0.1% 2022
14
Public queries to NVSS hotline: 500,000/year 2022
15
NVSS website visits 2022: 2.5 million unique users
16
Budget allocation NCHS NVSS: $15M in FY2023
17
NVSS linked birth/infant death data files: 1980-2021 available
18
NVSS cause-of-death coding uses ICD-10 since 1999
19
NVSS multiple cause-of-death data: 30 million records coded 2022
20
NVSS international collaborations: 50+ countries data sharing
Interpretation
Operations Interpretation
While America might casually debate pizza toppings and pop stars, the National Vital Statistics System serves as the nation’s sober, meticulous bookkeeper, quietly and efficiently processing the profound ledger of life and death for over 14 million people annually with a staff of 150 and a budget smaller than many mid-sized marketing departments.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Nathan Caldwell. (2026, February 13). Dept Vital Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/dept-vital-statistics
MLA
Nathan Caldwell. "Dept Vital Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/dept-vital-statistics.
Chicago
Nathan Caldwell. 2026. "Dept Vital Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/dept-vital-statistics.
Sources & references
3 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level