California, often viewed as the pioneer among states, may be foreshadowing a trend in the United States that could prove dangerous: declining birth rates. 

Due to the declining birth rate and the number of immigrants decreasing, the economy of California will suffer. The number of older-age natives will put an immense burden on the younger generations to support them.

The sixty years between 1970 and 2030 will show a huge decline in the percentage of children in the state, from one-third in 1970 to one-fifth in 2030, according to Dowell Myers, a USC demographer.

The decline in children is not unique to California; New York, Massachusetts, Illinois, and Michigan also have the same problem. But migrants have been an integral part of California’s economy for decades, unlike the other states.

California’s birth rate has now fallen below the replacement level of 2.1 children per woman; it now stands at 1.9. The CIA estimates the national average at 2.06, which is dangerously low. Whites, blacks, and Asians all saw their numbers drop. Hispanics are only barely peeking over replacement levels and, by 202, will be at or below the replacement level.