The number of births decreased during the 1990s, plateaued during the early 2000s, and then steadily increased between 2006 and 2016. The number of births has decreased every year since, dipping below 8,000 in 2023.
Number of Births in Washington, DC 1990-2023
Sources: 1990-2006 from KIDS COUNT; 2007-2009 and 2011-2014 from NCHS, Division of Vital Statistics, Natality public-use data; 2010 and 2015-2023 from Natality Data, Vital Records Division, Center for Policy, Planning and Evaluation, DC Department of Health Note: 2010 and 2015-2023 excludes non DC resident births and includes DC resident births occurring in other states.
Historically, the greatest number of births has been in Wards 8 and 4. Ward 8 experienced a steady decline in births since its peak in 2016. Ward 4 births increased between 2020 and 2021 surpassing Ward 8 but then dropped to a similar number in 2022 and 2023 (approximately 1,300 births each). The number of births in Wards 5 and 7 started to converge in 2022 (each approximately 1,220) but diverged in 2023 due to a decline in births in Ward 7. Wards 1 and 6 also had similar amounts in 2023, at approximately 900 each.
Number of Births by Ward, 2010-2023
Sources: Natality Data, Vital Records Division, Center for Policy, Planning and Evaluation, DC Department of Health Note: Excludes non DC resident births and includes DC resident births occuring in other states. Wards are 2012 boundaries.
Birth rates, measured as the number of births per 1,000 population, decreased between 1990 and 2000 from 19.45 to 13.40 births per 1,000 population. The rate increased to 15.22 births per 1,000 population in 2010 and is now estimated to have dipped to 11.63 births per 1,000 population in 2023.
Birth Rate in Washington, DC, 1990-2023
Sources: 1990 and 2000 from KIDS COUNT; 2010, 2020-2023 from Natality Data, Vital Records Division, Center for Policy, Planning and Evaluation, DC Department of Health; population from US Census Bureau
