National Center for Health Statistics
Drug overdoses and suicides caused American life expectancy to drop in 2017 for the second consecutive year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most notable is the gap between the urban and rural suicide rate.
The Washington Post
Births and birth rates dropped to a 30-year low, not an issue of concern yet, but if the trend continues, the U.S. could join other developed nations that must deal with the consequences of an aging population. Immigration plays an uncertain factor.
NPR: The Two-Way
First the auto companies blamed millennials for not driving enough, and now demographers blame them for the nation's declining birth rate.
The Washington Post
According to preliminary estimates from the National Safety Council, 38,300 people were killed on U.S. roads in 2015, an 8 percent jump from 2014. In fact, the annual increase is the most in half a century. Note that the figure differs from NHTSA's.
National Safety Council
A study published February 9 in the Journal of the American Medical Association points to three reasons for the life expectancy being lower for Americans than in other developed nations. Care to guess what they are?
The Washington Post - Wonkblog
The U.S. fertility rate has declined 9% since the onset of the recession in 2007, with births declining every year. The decrease appears to have leveled off last year, a sign of an improved economy, though the change varied among age and race groups.
The New York Times - Health
The U.S. birth rate is now at the lowest recorded level ever - or at least since record-keeping began in 1920. Births were increasing but plunged after the 2007 recession. The biggest decrease is among immigrant groups, particularly Mexican women.
Pew Research Center
