In a study by Michigan State University published in the Journal of Marriage and Family, the share of nonparents who don’t want any children nearly doubled, rising from 14% in 2002 to 29% in 2023. At the same time, the share of nonparents who plan to have kids dropped from 79% to 59%, said co-author Jennifer Watling Neal, professor of psychology at MSU. The research, based on data from the National Survey of Family Growth, tracked over 80,000 adults across seven survey waves from 2002 to 2023
Childcare has become a Luxury
Childcare now costs as much as rent and college. According to the National Database of Childcare Prices, U.S. families spend between 8.9% and 16% of their median income on full-day care for just one child. Annual costs range from $6,552 to $15,600 as of 2022. In 38 states including California, Florida, and Texas, childcare costs more than public college tuition, according to the Economic Policy Institute. Massachusetts tops the list, where infant care can hit $28,356 a year.
Even Mississippi, the cheapest state, still costs parents nearly $7,000 annually. And in New Mexico, families spend 21% of their income on childcare, deemed the highest in the country. Meanwhile, the cost of a baby’s first year has jumped to $20,384, up from $15,775 in 2022, per BabyCenter’s latest estimates. And that’s before factoring in everyday essentials like groceries, which have climbed roughly 29% since 2020.
Perhaps the economy has accelerated this shift, with new ideas about fulfilment, independence, and lifestyle spreading fast and reshaping what “adulthood” is supposed to look like. “There’s an increasing acceptability of not having children; there’s a decreasing stigma around not having children,” said Pamela Aronson, professor of sociology and gender studies at the University of Michigan–Dearborn.
Not enough affordable homes
Raising a child assumes you can afford a home, something that young adults can’t seem to relate to. Decent housing has long been tied to family formation and is paramount to children development. But in 2025, owning a home feels like a far-fetched dream in this economy, owing to the current housing crisis. Mortgage rates above 6% have frozen much of the U.S. housing market. Experts told NPR that the housing shortage isn't just restricted to a low-income issue anymore as homes at every price point are getting bid up faster than they can be built. The results are young adults are stuck renting, sharing rooms thus delaying or abandoning plans for families altogether.
The Rise of DINKs
The term “DINKs” — short for dual income, no kids — describes couples who both work and choose to live without the financial and emotional responsibilities of raising children. The term, once used to describe upwardly mobile couples, has become a viral identity among millennials and Gen Z. With both partners working, DINKs redirect their time and income toward travel, hobbies, and personal goals instead of childcare and mortgage payments. It seems to be a conscious shift toward self-prioritization in an economy where many millennials and Gen Zs live paycheck to paycheck or juggle side hustles just to stay afloat. The DINK lifestyle has gained cultural traction not because people dislike children, but because it represents stability, choice, and freedom in a system where raising kids feels like a luxury few can afford.
Falling birth rates aren’t unique to the U.S. as even in countries with generous parental leave and subsidies, fertility continues to drop. This suggests that it may not just be about affordability, but cultural desirability. Parenthood today competes with financial anxiety, burnout, and shifting cultural ideals about fulfilment. Although, Parenthood may still be called “the most important job in the world,” right now it’s one that few are applying for.