April 23 (UPI) -- The U.S. fertility rate grew by less than 1% -- close to a record low -- as 3,622,673 babies were born in 2024, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The rate of 54.6 births for every 1,000 women of reproductive age was slightly higher than the record low in 2023 of 54.5, according to the CDC report . There were 26,656 more births than in 2023. Data were obtained by the National Center for Health Statistics on Feb. 4. Births have been trending down