California Birth Rate Falls to ‘Lowest Level in History’ in 2016

California’s birth rate fell in 2016 to its lowest level in history in 2016, according to a new report by the California Department of Finance.

“The birth rate declined to 12.42 births per 1,000 population from 13.69 births per 1,000 population in 2010 Census – the lowest level in California’s history,” according to a press release from the department.

ABC 7 notes: “The last time birth rates came close to being that low was during the Great Depression, when they hit 12.6 in 1933.”

One reason for the falling birth rate is that despite the state’s economic recovery, younger adults lack confidence in the future, and face a high cost of living, particularly in heavily populated coastal areas.

The state also reported:

As the baby boomer generation advances towards retirement ages, the death rate has slowly increased to 6.71 deaths per 1,000 population. In 2010, the death rate was 6.26. Natural increase, births minus deaths, remains the primary source of the state’s population growth. The natural increase of 225,000 is comprised of 489,000 births minus 264,000 deaths.

Net migration added 70,000 persons to California last year. Net migration includes all legal and unauthorized foreign immigrants, residents who left the state to live abroad, and the balance of the hundreds of thousands of people who move to and from California from within the United States.

Some rural counties experienced a net decrease in population, the report added, despite the overall increase.

Meanwhile, nationwide, the percentage of young adults living at home with their parents hit a 75-year high, reaching 40 percent, according to CBS News, citing data from real estate company Trulia.

As with the low California birth rate, that percentage has not been seen since the Great Depression.

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News. He was named one of the “most influential” people in news media in 2016. His new book, See No Evil: 19 Hard Truths the Left Can’t Handle, is available from Regnery through Amazon. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.