Age of first-time mothers hits record high in blue states as birth rates keep falling

American women are having children later than ever, with birth rates hitting record lows and a divide between red and blue states becoming more stark, Washington, D.C., and Mississippi being emblematic of trends among first-time mothers. The average age of first-time mothers rose from 21 in 1972 to 27.5 in 2024. The top ten states with the highest average age of first-time moms all turned blue in the past five presidential elections.