Births, marriages, divorces, and deaths for May 1997.

The fertility rate, 61.0 live births per 1,000 women 15–44 years, was 7 percent lower than the comparable rate for May 1996 (65.7). The seasonally adjusted fertility rate (61.4) was also 7 percent lower than the comparable rate for May 1996 (66.2). During the first 5 months of 1997, an estimated 1,550,000 births occurred, 2 percent lower than the 1,585,000 reported for the first 5 months of 1996. The birth rate for this period decreased by 3 percent from 14.4 in 1996 to 14.0 in 1997. The fertility rate for the first 5 months of 1997 was 62.8, 2 percent lower than the rate for the first 5 months of 1996 (64.1). An estimated 3,865,000 live births occurred in the 12-month period ending with May 1997, a slight decline from the 3,868,000 births reported for the same period a year earlier. The birth rate of 14.5 was 1 percent lower than the rate of 14.7 for the preceding 12-month period. The fertility rate for the most recent 12-month period was 64.8, just under the rate for the 12 months ending with May 1996 (65.0). These lower rates continued the generally downward trend observed since early 1991. As a result of natural increase, the excess of births over deaths, an estimated 114,000 people, or 5.0 persons per 1,000 population, were added to the population during May 1997. For the 12-month period ending with May 1997, 1,572,000 persons were added to the population. This represented a rate of natural increase of 5.9, the same as the rate for the preceding 12-month period. The steady rate of natural increase was due to similar decreases in the birth rate and death rate. [Rates for infant deaths are deaths under 1 year per 1,000 live births; fertility rates are live births per 1,000 women aged 15–44 years; all other rates are per 1,000 total population. Data are subject to monthly reporting variation; see Technical notes] Item May January–May 12 months ending with May