The Rising Incidence of Natural Decrease in The United States Kenneth M. Johnson , Loyola University-Chicago, Chicago, IL Natural decrease occurs when deaths in an area exceed births. Historically, it has been rare in the United States. However, natural decrease has become increasingly common in rural areas recently. This trend accelerated rapidly after 1990.
Natural decrease occurs when deaths in an area exceed births.
It has been unusual in the American experience. However, it is no longer rare. Natural decrease is the consequence of a complex interaction between fertility, mortality and migration over a protracted period and is symptomatic of fundamental changes in the demographic structure of an area. Age structure shifts resulting from protracted, age-specific migration is the primary cause of most natural decrease. Temporal variations in fertility also contribute, but it is not usually due to below average fertility in a county.