Birth rate drops as economy struggles - WKOW 27: Madison, WI Breaking News, Weather and Sports

MADISON (WKOW)-- The U.S. birth rate continued its decline in 2011, according to a preliminary report from the Centers for Disease Control, and researchers link a part of the downturn in births, to the economy.

Last year, the number of births hit a record low after declining 1 percent from 2010. Its the fourth year in a row for a total decline in fertility rates. The baby boom that was once part of U.S. culture has fizzled as the general fertility rate fell to a historic low in 2011, measured just at 63.2 births per 1,000 women age 15-44 years old. The figure peaked in the mid-1950's at about 120 births per 1,000 women in the age group.

"The economy is definitely having some effect on fertility and we know that from previous decades during the Great Depression we saw a pretty significant drop in fertility and then again in the 1970′s," Mark Mather, a demographer for Population Reference Bureau, a nonprofit population research organization, told ABC News.

Some families are decided not to have children because it may be too expensive, once all the costs are considered.  Some of the costs taken into consideration are: education, extra-curricular activities, and insurance.