Massachusetts
Why Massachusetts women have fewer children and Trump’s $5,000 ‘baby bonus’ won’t help – The Boston Globe
Massachusetts has the lowest fertility rates among women in their 20s
A woman’s peak reproductive years are between the late teens and late 20s. Yet Massachusetts women in this age group are far less likely than the average twentysomething to have children. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, in 2022, just 26.1 babies were born per 1,000 Massachusetts women aged 20 to 24 — less than half the national rate of 57.5. Among women 25 to 29, the rate is 60.2 births per 1,000 here versus 93.5 nationally.
For women in their thirties and forties, the pattern reverses. Those aged 30 to 34 and 35 to 39 have fertility rates that exceed the national average — “but they’re not high enough to make up for the lack of births among women in their 20s,” said Kenneth Johnson, a demographer at the University of New Hampshire.
A key driver is education. According to America’s Health Rankings, nearly half (49.4 percent) of Massachusetts women aged 25 to 44 hold at least a bachelor’s degree — the highest share in the country. But experts warn that education itself doesn’t lower fertility.
“Education delays childbearing, and advancing maternal age is one of the strongest contributors to low fecundity,” said Lauren Wise, a Boston University epidemiologist, referring to a woman’s biological capacity to conceive children. “But when you hold age constant, women with higher education actually have higher fecundity.”
Higher education is often linked to higher incomes, which can bring advantages like better health care access, lower stress, and healthier lifestyles. Still, delayed childbearing often leads to fewer total children — especially given declining fecundity after age 35.
Massachusetts is one of the most expensive states in the country to raise a family
Infant care in Massachusetts averages over $26,000 a year — the highest in the country. For many, that cost is compounded over many years, as some towns still don’t offer full-day kindergarten, forcing working parents to pay for multiple years of care.
In some Massachusetts counties, families spend nearly 20 percent of their income on child care — nearly triple the 7 percent benchmark for affordability set by the US Department of Health and Human Services.
“That’s huge,” said Dr. Stephanie Ettinger de Cuba, a public health researcher at BU. “Parents have to pay for childcare generally near the beginning of their career, when they’re not at their top earning potential.”
Housing costs don’t help. In Greater Boston, the median home price surpassed $950,000 in 2024, placing it among the ranks of the country’s most expensive metros and prompting many younger adults to delay or reconsider having children.
“People can’t borrow against their future to pay for daycare,” Ettinger de Cuba said. “And housing and student debt are already stretching them thin. People are making deeply rational choices in a system that’s not set up to support families.”
Massachusetts residents are more likely to be white, wealthy, urban, liberal, and secular.
While none of these traits directly reduces fecundity, they are associated with cultural norms — like delayed childbearing and smaller desired family sizes — that help explain lower fertility rates.
“It’s not that being liberal or high-income causes lower fertility,” said Wise. “It’s that these traits are associated with family formation patterns where people tend to want fewer children.”
Economic and political instability also plays a role. “When the economy is not doing well — during recessions or wars — birth rates decline,” Wise said, pointing to a sharp drop during the Great Depression and a rebound during the post-WWII economic boom. “People wait. They don’t want to start or grow a family when their future feels uncertain.”
Not all groups feel these pressures equally. “We shouldn’t conflate not having children with not wanting them,” said Ettinger de Cuba. For many low-income and immigrant families, the decision not to grow a family reflects systemic constraints — like food insecurity, unaffordable childcare, and unstable housing — more than personal preference.
The $5,000 Question
In April, Trump proposed a $5,000 “baby bonus” for new mothers. Some experts were skeptical.
“That’s not going to move the needle,” Wise said flatly. “It costs about $233,000 to raise a child.” The figure, from a decade-old USDA estimate, has only grown with inflation.
“There’s so much more to it than receiving a medal,” added Ettinger de Cuba, referencing another Trump idea to honor women with six or more children with a “National Medal of Motherhood.”
If policymakers are serious about boosting fertility rates, she said, they’d be better off funding paid family leave, universal childcare, affordable housing, and health care.
Nathan Metcalf can be reached at nathan.metcalf@globe.com. Follow him on Instagram @natpat_123.
As officials investigate the crash that killed a teenager on an electric dirt bike in Stoneham, Massachusetts, last week, House Speaker Ron Mariano on Monday expressed an interest in beefing up enforcement and potentially installing new licensing requirements.
A 13-year-old boy struck a Toyota Corolla on Friday afternoon as the car was making a left turn, according to Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan’s office. The boy was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Mariano called the crash a “tragedy.”
“But we have begun to look at making sure that the rules that are in place are enforced, and if they have to be expanded or training has to be insisted upon, then we begin to do that — to license these folks that ride these bicycles,” Mariano said. “Because if you drive around the City of Boston, I’m sure you’ve been cut off or you’ve been frightened by these folks who are trying to make deliveries and pay very little attention to the traffic pattern or the traffic laws.”
Certain categories of e-bikes do not currently require rider licenses, according to MassBike.
Ryan’s office said its investigation includes the Stoneham Police Department, the State Police Crime Scene Services Section and the Massachusetts State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section.
“We want to get to the bottom of it,” Mariano said. “We want to look at ways to make it safer and make sure that folks follow the laws that we have on the books.”
Health insurance costs for companies soaring as we head toward 2026
Businesses and companies that provide health care coverage are facing the largest spike in health insurance costs in the past 15 years
Straight Arrow News
Elizabeth LaBrecque says the Taunton Area Chamber of Commerce created its Government Affairs Council for a very good reason.
“The idea is for legislators to help local businesses,” said LeBrecque, whose job description at the TACC is Director of Member Development.
LaBrecque, says the cost of health insurance continues to be a major concern among small and large businesses.
“Health insurance is always a major factor,” she said.
A survey of 635 small businesses in the Bay State, conducted in October 2024 by the UMass Donahue Institute in Amherst, found that 63% of respondent business owners – who offer employee health insurance and employ up to 50 full-time workers – strongly agreed with the statement that small businesses and employees in the commonwealth “have to pay higher health insurance premiums than big businesses and government.”
That sentiment was echoed by John Hurst, president of the Retailers Association of Massachusetts.
“Health insurance has gone through the roof,” said Hurst, who has been president of the statewide business association for 35 years.
Hurst said that he and his retailers association regularly communicate with state legislators to make their concerns heard.
“And more importantly we urge our members to do that,” he said. “They are the small employers and voters in the legislators’ districts.”
The 4,000-member group also has an online “advocacy center” that connects members with legislators.
The Retailers Association of Massachusetts requested that UMass Donahue Institute conduct its survey, which included 635 respondents. The final report based on the survey results was completed in March of 2025.
Hurst also says that as of Jan. 1, 2025, the cost of health insurance for small businesses in the state had increased 13% since 2020.
LaBrecque said the TACC and its seven-member Government Affairs Council is also concerned about cost increases for other types of insurance coverage, which can include workers compensation, general liability and business owner’s policy.
It’s been three and a half years since LeBrecque came on board with the Taunton Area Chamber of Commerce – which also represents the interests of member business owners in the towns of Raynham, Dighton and Berkley. She says the TACC this past year reached a goal of 450 active members as compared to 250 when she was hired to her part-time position.
Some of those newer members, she said, also belong to other commerce chambers representing businesses in cities and towns like Fall River, New Bedford, Bridgewater and Easton.
The TACC, she said, continues to work closely with Taunton-based nonprofit SEED (South Eastern Economic Development Corporation), which provides low-interest business loans, as well as SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives), a nonprofit sponsored by the U.S. Small Business Association that holds workshops and provides counseling to budding entrepreneurs.
The chamber’s website also lists a number of state and federal business resources and includes a City of Taunton Business and Development Guide created by Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District (SRPEDD) as well as a Town of Dighton Business Guide.
LaBrecque said trade tariffs imposed this year by the administration of President Donald Trump initially created concern among local beauty salon proprietors. But those fears of paying higher prices for certain products, she said, have since been allayed.
“There’s been a lot of uncertainty this year. It’s been a rocky economy,” LaBrecque said, adding that “we’re telling all our new businesses to spend wisely.”
BOSTON (WWLP) – Five Regional Transit Authorities and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) have secured $105.7 million in federal funding to modernize their bus fleets and facilities.
The funding, sourced from the Federal Transit Administration’s Low or No Emissions Grant Program and the Buses and Bus Facilities Program, will be used to purchase zero and low-emission buses and upgrade transit facilities across Massachusetts.
“Low and no emission buses deliver smoother rides, lower costs, and healthier air,” said Governor Maura Healey. “These funds will help regional transit authorities across the state purchase new buses and deliver the service that the people of Massachusetts deserve.”
The following projects received grant funding:
Low or No Emission Grant Program Awards (Total: $98,381,757):
- Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA): $78.6 million
- Merrimack Valley Transit Authority (MeVa): $7.2 million
- Lowell Regional Transit Authority (LRTA): $7.2 million
- Berkshire Regional Transit Authority (BRTA): $5.4 million
Buses & Bus Facilities Program Awards (Total: $7,475,955):
- Pioneer Valley Transit Authority (PVTA): $4.5 million
- Berkshire Regional Transit Authority (BRTA): $3 million
“PVTA is pleased to receive this significant award from the FTA’s Bus and Bus Facility Discretionary Grant Program,” said PVTA Administrator Sandra Sheehan. “This grant will enable us to maintain the Northampton Operations and Maintenance facility in a state of good repair, which is crucial for improving the safety, capacity, and reliability of our entire transit system as we work to meet growing demand as we expand service.”
Governor Healey expressed gratitude towards the team at MassDOT, the MBTA, regional transit authorities, and Senators Warren and Markey for their leadership in securing the funding.
The federal funding is expected to enhance public transportation in Massachusetts by providing cleaner, more efficient bus services, benefiting both commuters and the environment.
Local News Headlines
WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Download the 22News Plus app on your TV to watch live-streaming newscasts and video on demand.
All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by WWLP. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat information into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by WWLP staff before being published.
Oregon State football looking for season sweep of Washington State
Escaped Slender Man defendant Morgan Geyser will return to Wisconsin
U.S. Sen. Jim Justice of West Virginia agrees to pay nearly $5.2M in overdue personal taxes – WTOP News
Rural Wyo. EMS struggles to keep aging ambulances on the road
One man’s opinion: Cryptocurrency’s Kryptonite
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Video: ‘It Didn’t Have to Happen This Way:’ U.Va. Faculty Call for Review of Police Response to Protests
War on badges: House GOP targets anti-police rhetoric amid ICE attacks
How a study on hormonal contraception and breast cancer was distorted
U.S. plans to cut ties with Boy Scouts. And, Comey and James’ criminal cases dismissed
Read the Ruling Dismissing the Charges Against James Comey
Trump launches ‘Genesis Mission’ to supercharge US scientific AI innovation
-
Business1 week agoFire survivors can use this new portal to rebuild faster and save money
-
World1 week agoFrance and Germany support simplification push for digital rules
-
News1 week agoCourt documents shed light on Indiana shooting that sparked stand-your-ground debate
-
Science3 days agoWashington state resident dies of new H5N5 form of bird flu
-
World1 week agoSinclair Snaps Up 8% Stake in Scripps in Advance of Potential Merger
-
World1 week agoCalls for answers grow over Canada’s interrogation of Israel critic
-
Politics1 week agoDuckworth fires staffer who claimed to be attorney for detained illegal immigrant with criminal history
-
Business7 days ago
Amazon’s Zoox offers free robotaxi rides in San Francisco
