Vital records turn major life events into measurable historical evidence. In the United States, final 2023 records documented 3,596,017 live births and 3,090,964 resident deaths, while provisional 2023 data recorded 2,041,926 marriages and 672,502 divorces. These figures provide context for researchers using birth, death, marriage, divorce, fetal, and perinatal records.
Contents
- Birth counts and fertility rates
- Demographic patterns on birth certificates
- Medical and delivery information
- Deaths, life expectancy, and age
- Leading causes of death
- Fetal, infant, and perinatal records
- Marriage and divorce records
Birth counts and fertility rates
The National Vital Statistics System registered 3,596,017 live births in the United States during 2023. The same year produced a birth rate of 10.7 births per 1,000 population and a general fertility rate of 54.5 births per 1,000 females ages 15–44. The 2023 total fertility rate was 1,621.0 births per 1,000 women. These measures describe different denominators, so they should not be treated as interchangeable.
For comparison, the United States registered 3,667,758 live births in 2022. The 2023 birth total was therefore lower than the 2022 total, but the supplied figures do not by themselves explain the change. The birth rate for mothers ages 15–19 was 13.1 births per 1,000 women in 2023.
| Measure | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. live births | 3,667,758 | 3,596,017 |
| Birth rate | — | 10.7 per 1,000 population |
| General fertility rate | — | 54.5 per 1,000 females ages 15–44 |
| Total fertility rate | — | 1,621.0 per 1,000 women |
Source: Births: Final Data for 2023 (National Vital Statistics System, 2022 and 2023).
Demographic patterns on birth certificates
Birth certificates provide demographic fields that help genealogists understand the population represented in a particular period. In 2023, certificates recorded 1,787,051 births to non-Hispanic White mothers, 491,494 births to non-Hispanic Black mothers, 945,200 births to Hispanic mothers, 215,738 births to non-Hispanic Asian mothers, and 24,571 births to non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaska Native mothers.
These categories are reported as recorded in the birth statistics and should not be added together as a complete population total. The categories use race and Hispanic-origin classifications, and the Hispanic category is an origin classification rather than a race category.
Marital status and education were also recorded. There were 1,440,031 births to unmarried women in 2023, representing 40.0% of all U.S. births. Mothers had a high school diploma or higher for 88.7% of births, while 36.1% of births were to mothers with a bachelor’s degree or higher.
Age patterns show that the mean age at first birth was 27.5 years for U.S. mothers in 2023. Births to mothers younger than age 20 accounted for 4.0% of all U.S. births. Together, these measures can help place an individual record in the demographic context of its year, but they cannot identify a particular family without the underlying certificate or local index.
Source: Births: Final Data for 2023 (2023 final data).
Medical and delivery information
Birth records can contain clinical and delivery characteristics in addition to names, dates, and places. The cesarean delivery rate was 32.3% of U.S. births in 2023. There were 2,431,500 vaginal births. Vaginal birth after a previous cesarean occurred in 15.1% of relevant births.
Gestational age was another important recorded measure. Preterm births before 37 completed weeks represented 10.41% of births in 2023, while births before 34 completed weeks represented 2.76%. Term births at 37–41 completed weeks represented 89.34% of births.
Birthweight statistics distinguish low and very low birthweight. Births under 2,500 grams represented 8.58% of U.S. births, and births under 1,500 grams represented 1.36%. These thresholds describe the newborn’s recorded weight and are not substitutes for a later health assessment.
Care and procedures were also quantified. Prenatal care began in the first trimester for 76.1% of births. Epidural or spinal anesthesia was recorded for 780.0 births per 1,000 births, and labor induction was recorded for 331.6 births per 1,000 births. The per-1,000 presentation is a rate of recorded births, not a percentage unless converted using the appropriate denominator.
Source: Births: Final Data for 2023 (2023 final data).
Deaths, life expectancy, and age
Death certificates provide the basis for national mortality statistics. The United States registered 3,090,964 resident deaths in 2023. The age-adjusted death rate was 750.5 deaths per 100,000 standard population. Age adjustment is designed for comparison across populations or periods with different age distributions; it is not the same as the crude number of deaths.
Life expectancy at birth was 78.4 years for the total U.S. population in 2023. It was 75.8 years for males and 81.1 years for females. These are period life-expectancy estimates based on the mortality conditions measured for the year, not a prediction of how long any specific person will live.
Mortality increased sharply across the listed age groups. There were 4,059 deaths among children ages 1–4, at a rate of 27.3 per 100,000 population. Among people ages 15–24, there were 33,711 deaths, at 76.8 per 100,000. The 45–54 age group recorded 166,773 deaths, at 411.8 per 100,000.
Older groups accounted for substantially higher age-specific rates. There were 627,680 deaths among people ages 65–74, at 1,809.6 per 100,000 population. Among people ages 85 and older, there were 885,004 deaths, at 14,285.8 per 100,000.
Source: Mortality in the United States, 2023 (2023 resident mortality data).
Leading causes of death
Cause-of-death information on death certificates shows which conditions and events accounted for recorded deaths in 2023. Diseases of the heart accounted for 680,981 deaths, or 22.0% of all deaths. Malignant neoplasms accounted for 613,352 deaths, or 19.8%.
| Cause recorded | Deaths | Share of deaths |
|---|---|---|
| Diseases of the heart | 680,981 | 22.0% |
| Malignant neoplasms | 613,352 | 19.8% |
| Unintentional injuries | 222,698 | 7.2% |
| Cerebrovascular diseases | 162,639 | 5.3% |
| Chronic lower respiratory diseases | 145,357 | 4.7% |
| Alzheimer disease | 114,034 | 3.7% |
| Diabetes mellitus | 95,190 | 3.1% |
| Kidney disease | 55,253 | 1.8% |
| Chronic liver disease and cirrhosis | 52,222 | 1.7% |
| COVID-19 | 49,932 | 1.6% |
The figures also include 222,698 deaths from unintentional injuries, 162,639 from cerebrovascular diseases, and 145,357 from chronic lower respiratory diseases. Alzheimer disease accounted for 114,034 deaths, diabetes mellitus for 95,190, kidney disease for 55,253, chronic liver disease and cirrhosis for 52,222, and COVID-19 for 49,932.
The percentages describe each listed cause’s share of all U.S. deaths in 2023. They are not a measure of an individual’s risk and should not be combined with birth or marriage rates.
Source: Mortality in the United States, 2023 (2023 resident mortality data).
Fetal, infant, and perinatal records
Perinatal statistics connect fetal and early newborn outcomes. In 2023, the U.S. perinatal mortality rate was 8.36 per 1,000 live births and fetal deaths. The early fetal mortality rate was 2.89 per 1,000 live births and fetal deaths, and the late fetal mortality rate was 2.66 per 1,000 on the same denominator. The early neonatal mortality rate was 2.84 deaths per 1,000 live births.
Rates varied across the maternal groups reported. The perinatal mortality rate was 11.39 per 1,000 live births and fetal deaths for mothers younger than 20, and 12.42 per 1,000 for mothers age 40 and older. For non-Hispanic Black mothers, it was 15.04 per 1,000; for Hispanic mothers, it was 7.57 per 1,000.
These measures use specific definitions and denominators. A perinatal rate should not be read as an infant mortality rate, and early fetal, late fetal, and early neonatal statistics represent different parts of the perinatal period.
Source: Perinatal Mortality in the United States, 2022 and 2023 (2023 rates, with the report covering 2022 and 2023).
Marriage and divorce records
The National Center for Health Statistics recorded 2,041,926 marriages in provisional 2023 data. The provisional marriage rate was 6.1 marriages per 1,000 total population.
The same provisional release recorded 672,502 divorces from 45 reporting states and the District of Columbia. Its provisional divorce rate was 2.4 divorces per 1,000 population across those reporting jurisdictions.
| Record type | Count | Rate | Coverage and status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marriages | 2,041,926 | 6.1 per 1,000 total population | United States; provisional 2023 data |
| Divorces | 672,502 | 2.4 per 1,000 population | 45 states and D.C.; provisional 2023 data |
The marriage and divorce figures are provisional, so they should be labeled that way when used in family-history writing or comparative research. The divorce coverage is also narrower than the marriage coverage stated here because it excludes jurisdictions outside the 45 reporting states and the District of Columbia. For a specific ancestor, national statistics provide background; the actual marriage or divorce record remains the authoritative source for names, dates, places, and legal details.
Source: FastStats – Marriage and Divorce (provisional 2023 data).