More people are dying off in Florida, study finds. Here’s why it’s a problem

A recent study by ValuePenguin shows that Florida is one of the biggest victims of the nation’s “fertility crisis,” which could have some major repercussions.

According to the study, the country’s fertility rates have dropped to their lowest levels in decades, with the number of births falling far short of the death figures in many states.

In fact, Florida came in No. 2 nationwide when it came to the ratio of deaths to births in 2022 (the latest period for data), with nearly 15,000 more deaths than newborns.

This is a big issue for an aging population, as this phenomenon could cause health insurance premiums to rise over time, researchers predicted.

“Older Americans tend to have greater health care needs, including chronic disease management, hospitalizations and long-term care,” health insurance expert Divya Sangameshwar explained. “An aging population will also have fewer younger, healthier individuals getting policies. With fewer young, healthy individuals to balance the costs of insuring older, higher-risk individuals, health insurance premiums will rise for all policyholders to reflect growing risk.”

For around two decades (2005-2023), Florida’s fertility rates have taken a massive hit, falling by over 16%, the study reveals.

So why is this happening?

Well, the study says that factors like rising childcare costs, more contraceptives, and people putting off marriage could be big contributors.

“As women put off marriage, the birth rate for single women is less than half that of married women,” the study reads. “Women are also putting off having children until later or foregoing having children altogether.”

Of course, Florida isn’t alone. Over 20 states during this period managed to see net losses when it came to their deaths-to-births ratio.

The full 2022 list is as follows: