Fewer Births, More Deaths Mean Challenges For W.Va.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports 3.6 million births in the United States last year, a drop of less than one percent from 2024. 

That’s a small but concerning figure because it indicates a shrinking workforce, slowing economy and greater strain on public programs like Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security in years ahead. 

But the concerns are more pronounced for West Virginia, because the birth rate isn’t the only reason for a well-documented decline in population. 

Much of it is attributed to an exodus of young people seeking higher paying jobs. 

Experts say that movement has slowed in recent years. The bigger concern in West Virginia isn’t only the lower birth rate but also a higher death rate. 

“Over the past 15 years, we have had more deaths than births every single year. And we’re usually one of only two or three states that has that trend,” Sean OLeary, a senior policy analyst with the Center on Budget and Policy, said. “That makes it that much more difficult to grow the economy, to improve quality of life.” 

Since 2011, there have been roughly 80,000 more deaths than births in West Virginia – a statistic that “impacts everything,” O’Leary said. 

“We would receive less federal funding and anything that’s determined by population, federal grants, infrastructure funding, all of those things that are determined by population. But in the state itself, that just means it’s really, really tough to grow our economy,” he said. “With a declining population, a declining workforce, when businesses are looking for where to locate, they’re not going to look for a place that has a declining population because that’s a declining customer base, that’s a declining labor force, there’s fewer workers, there’s fewer college graduates, all those things are trending down in West Virginia. And that makes it that much more difficult to grow the economy, to improve quality of life.” 

O’Leary said the declining population – for whatever reason – ultimately means fewer resources to invest in healthcare, education, housing or infrastructure, and often leads to school closures, lack of job growth and lack of funding for things like childcare.