[Steve_American]

Godstud wrote:
Being rich does not equate to being smart and vice versa. Less moral people, however, do tend to be richer.

It's interesting how you phrase this, as you could swap "rich" and "less moral" and the result would still be true, i.e.

Being rich does not equate to being less moral and vice versa. Smarter people, however, do tend to be richer.

While correlation does not prove cause and effect; it always goes both ways.
That is, if A tends to go with B, then B also tends to go with A.
At least to some extent.

[snapdragon]

Let me get this straight. Is it fertility that's dropping to an all time low, or the birth rate?

If it's the former, then the invention of very tight pants could be one reason.

I didn't know my dad had a willy for years. I always assumed he kept his hanky in his swimming trunks on holiday.

These days, it's not only possible to see on which the gentleman dresses, but also to have a good stab at guessing his religion.

[Godstud]

I agree. This sounds as though it's the birth rate, and not actual fertility. The less Americans, the better, anyhow.

If it's the former, then the invention of very tight pants could be one reason.

Quite possible.
Them clamping down on man-spreading could be another. Hey ladies, you should put a cucumber and a couple crab apples between your legs and then sit with your legs close together and tell me how comfortable it is!

These days, it's not only possible to see on which the gentleman dresses, but also to have a good stab at guessing his religion.

Maybe at the beach in Europe, but not in most places!

[Kaiserschmarrn]

The fertility rate is the average number of births per women of child bearing age. Right from the OP's article:

The fertility rate fell to 60.2 births per 1,000 women of childbearing age, down 3 percent from 2016

This is different from the birth rate which is just the number of births per 1,000.

The "rate" is missing in the title.

[Godstud]

That's birth rate, not fertility rate... but I guess it's just semantics.

[Kaiserschmarrn]

It is called fertility rate, but they are very similar measures, yes.

[snapdragon]

I agree. This sounds as though it's the birth rate, and not actual fertility. The less Americans, the better, anyhow.

Quite possible.
Them clamping down on man-spreading could be another. Hey ladies, you should put a cucumber and a couple crab apples between your legs and then sit with your legs close together and tell me how comfortable it is!

Cucumber? Chipolata sausage more like. You men.

Maybe at the beach in Europe, but not in most places!

skinny jeans make it a doddle just about anywhere, except maybe America.

[Godstud]

I used cucumber, since it comes in a vast array of sizes.

The fashions where I am are quite different. The girls wear these...

[One Degree]

That's birth rate, not fertility rate... but I guess it's just semantics.

It is semantics that is often used to distort, which is why we are concerned with decreasing population when actually it is still increasing. It is helpful to keep in mind actual population when reading these figures.
There is no population decline despite these numbers.

[Kaiserschmarrn]

Drop seems to be mostly driven by the 15-19 age group followed by 20-24 year old mothers.

Births in the United States, 2016 (CDC)