More people were born in the U.S. in 2007 than in any time in our history. And birth rates have become the driving force of California's population growth. KPBS reporter Tom Fudge has more.
American births set a record in 2007 as 4.3 million newborns came into the world. And California's birth rate of 2.2 children per woman is higher than the national average. Hans Johnson, of California's Public Policy Institute, says that figure rises to three children per woman among Latinos. And birth rates are even higher among foreign-born Latinos. Johnson says births have replaced migration as the primary reason for California's rising population.
"And there are some really positive aspects of that, in terms of having a fairly youthful population compared to other developed countries and even compared to other states in the U.S," he says.
Johnson says the challenges include improving the education of recent immigrants and their children. Tom Fudge, KPBS News.
