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NJ.com Birth rates have been declining for decades in the United States, causing concern among demographers and planners who worry a smaller youth movement may struggle to prop up a much larger aging populace.
New Jersey is no different, but a handful of towns are bucking that trend. NJ Advance Media analyzed 25 years of birth record data and found that 17 towns, and only 17, have birth rates outpacing the state average and have seen their birth rate grow in the last quarter century.
#1 Lakewood
It's not even close
There's growth and then there's Lakewood growth.
At 45 births per 1,000 people in 2015, Lakewood's birth rate is more than double the next highest municipality in the state and four times the state average. The huge figures are tied to fast-growing Orthodox Jewish community, which has also made it one of the fastest growing towns in the state.
Outpacing N.J., the U.S. and most of the planet
Lakewood's birth rate is remarkable no matter how you slice it. The 4,500 births in Lakewood in 2015 represent 5 percent of its total population. New Jersey has only grown by 1.7 percent in the last 7 years.
Lakewood's birth rate is nearly double the next highest county in the United States. And the birth rate in Niger, which sported the highest national rate on Earth in 2015, was only a few points higher at 49.
NJ.com Birth rates have been declining for decades in the United States, causing concern among demographers and planners who worry a smaller youth movement may struggle to prop up a much larger aging populace.
New Jersey is no different, but a handful of towns are bucking that trend. NJ Advance Media analyzed 25 years of birth record data and found that 17 towns, and only 17, have birth rates outpacing the state average and have seen their birth rate grow in the last quarter century.
#1 Lakewood
It's not even close
There's growth and then there's Lakewood growth.
At 45 births per 1,000 people in 2015, Lakewood's birth rate is more than double the next highest municipality in the state and four times the state average. The huge figures are tied to fast-growing Orthodox Jewish community, which has also made it one of the fastest growing towns in the state.
Outpacing N.J., the U.S. and most of the planet
Lakewood's birth rate is remarkable no matter how you slice it. The 4,500 births in Lakewood in 2015 represent 5 percent of its total population. New Jersey has only grown by 1.7 percent in the last 7 years.
Lakewood's birth rate is nearly double the next highest county in the United States. And the birth rate in Niger, which sported the highest national rate on Earth in 2015, was only a few points higher at 49.
