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SALT LAKE CITY — Which cities are producing the most babies?
A Bloomberg Business study calculated the top 20 cities that had the most births per 1,000 people. Provo-Orem came in at the No. 1 spot, and two other Utah cities joined it in the top five: Ogden-Clearfield at No. 3 and Salt Lake City at No. 5.
The U.S. cities that had the highest share of babies in their buggies as of July 2014 http://t.co/xN5YF68E6spic.twitter.com/LZWKSJ3vFL — Bloomberg Business (@business) August 13, 2015
Researchers weren't surprised that three Utah cities were high on the list because Utah has always had "a young population combined with a high fertility rate," said Mark Mather of the Population Reference Bureau.
Provo Mayor John Curtis told Bloomberg Business that Provo is in the top spot partly because of the large Mormon population.
Mormons like big families — We're not bashful about that at all.
–Provo Mayor John Curtis to Bloomberg
"Mormons like big families," Curtis said. "We're not bashful about that at all."
He also credits the high birthrate to low unemployment and a strong economy.
Top 10
- Provo-Orem
- McAllen-Edinburgh-Mission, Texas
- Ogden-Clearfield
- Bakersfield, California
- Salt Lake City (tied)
- Fresno, California (tied)
- El Paso, Texas
- Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, Texas
- Wichita, Kansas
- Omaha-Council Bluffs, Nebraska
The most recent estimate to raise one child is $245,340.
