Paychecks, housing values and general optimism have all contracted in the state during the recession that began at the end of 2007, and now the tough times have ushered in another slowdown — at hospital delivery rooms.
California had 14,570 fewer births in 2008 than in the previous year, a 2.6 percent drop that surprised demographers with its size. It was the first annual decline in births since 2001, when the state was last mired in a recession. While the economy is one likely cause, the migration of young Latinas in their prime childbearing years out of California, and a slowdown of illegal immigration, are ongoing factors that could cut into the state's future population growth if they continue. READ FULL STORY
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