So, 43 babies were born at the Detroit maternity ward over just the last four days. I guess that’s probably the best four-day streak we've seen in Detroit all year. Since the start of the month through December 12th, there have been 87 births, which averages out to about 7.25 a day. Maybe it's the best start to a month we've had this year. Compared to this time last December, we actually had 40 more births, since there were only 47 total by the 12th back then. And, if you want the sweet part, as of December 12th, this year is officially ahead of last year's count by four babies.☕😉
hiddeneagle76 said:You’ve really made my day, quietangler5—thank you so much! I’m just sitting here counting down the days until December 12th when the monthly stats drop, haha. Where on earth did you dig this up? By the way, it’s actually fantastic news that we managed to trim the deficit this month... we are only about 150 children away from hitting our target. Hopefully, we can pull that off and keep pace with Republika Srpska, which is looking at a growth rate of roughly 3% this year, if the projections hold true. Actually, it might even be a win for us if the number of live births dropped by, say, 300 to 400—which is about a 0.5% dip. Since our total population tends to shrink by nearly 0.5% annually, a slight drop in births would actually stabilize the birth rate quite nicely. It means that if we had the exact same number of births as we did this year in absolute terms, our birth rate could potentially climb to 9.4 per thousand! 😁 And of course, it is absolutely wonderful to see mortality rates trending down for the period of I-IX. Fingers crossed we can finally stay under that dreaded 100,000 mark!
That's definitely still on the table, and I honestly think they'll make up for it. Detroit is really pulling its weight this December. In just the first nine days, there were 55 births—that's 26 more than during the same stretch last year when there were only 29.☕Like I said before, December should give the Detroit maternity ward a chance to seriously boost their annual numbers. I'm still recovering from how bad November was.😢
I just found out my friend is having triplets. She’s eight weeks along.☕ So, I guess we'll be seeing triplets at the local hospital next year, unless she gives birth in Mexico City since her IVF was done over at NF Mexico City. Maybe they'll handle the delivery there, though I don't really see why they would.
Here are the November numbers for Detroit. There were 158 births, which is 23 fewer than last November.
November: 2011 - 197 2012 - 181 2013 - 158
Jan-Nov: 2011 - 2058 2012 - 2004 2013 - 1968
So, heading into the final month, this year is down by 36 babies compared to last. Since last December was a total disaster with only 144 births, I guess it's hard to imagine this one being any worse. The most likely scenario is that this year ends up matching last year. We'd only need an average December with maybe 170-180 births for that. It’s kind of a shame about this November dip; this year could have easily beaten the last one. December is looking okay so far.
Huge congrats! Hope the little one stays healthy and happy. 🙂 Honestly, it's probably the best thing that can happen to you. I went through this myself earlier this year, and I guess it just makes me want a second kid even more now.
In the NYC maternity ward, we saw 198 births this October. It looks like that trend from June—averaging around 200 births a month—is sticking, which I guess is what I was hoping for. Even though we had 13 fewer babies this October compared to last year, you have to look at the big picture. Last year's total hit 211, and September was up at 213, making them some of the best months we've seen in years. Honestly, those two months basically carried all of last year. We've got two months left this year to really try and beat those numbers. November last year was at 181, which is doable, and December sat at 144—I'm pretty sure we're going to blow that number out of the water. I'm actually really liking this run we've had since June. Just had to write it down: 199, 196, 206, 205, 198. It's incredibly steady, with a swing of maybe ten babies. If we can carry this momentum through the last two months, even somewhat closely, it’ll be a solid year. So, here's where we stand right now: October: 2011 - 193 2012 - 211 2013 - 198
I guess I agree that Washington, D.C. might not have that extra spark everyone expects, but it’s still pulling in about 50,000 newcomers every single year. The other issue is that people are leaving just as fast—we're talking 40,000 or more. Washington, D.C. has basically become a revolving door. A lot of people quickly realize there aren't enough jobs here that actually pay enough to cover rent and still leave you with something to live on. You definitely can't make it on a retail clerk's salary. Still, for plenty of folks, it’s better than just sitting around at home. We’ve probably beaten this topic to death a million times already, but the truth is, young people aren't staying in smaller towns even if the pay is the same as in Washington, D.C. Period. I was talking to a buddy recently who moved from Washington, D.C. to Canada. He was doing pretty well here—making $2,000 a month, owned his own place, drove a great car, and his wife had a job—but he still left for Canada. When I asked him why someone who has everything would move, he told me he just didn't want to live in a disorganized country where nobody takes responsibility for anything, or where you can work your tail off and still never get ahead. He doesn't see a future for his kids here, especially after having that nice car broken into three times in one year out of pure jealousy. It's not all about the money. That’s why we're seeing this massive exodus, even from Washington, D.C. In the age of the internet, people know there are better options and they find their way out much easier.
Laura Perez8 said:Could you provide some data regarding the maternity hospitals in Cleveland and Chicago? 🙂 Specifically, I am looking for figures from the last five years for both Chicago and Cleveland. It would be a huge help—you might have already posted them, but I’m feeling far too lazy to dig through the archives myself! 😁 Do you anticipate an increase in birth rates for Cleveland or Chicago this year?
One more thing... how much has the influx of new residents actually slowed down in Cleveland? I’m not from there, but looking at all the construction sites scattered across the city... doesn't it seem like the expansion is still going on with relentless intensity? Everywhere you look, there's something being built.
It’s dropped a ton. I guess it's maybe around a 2,000 net gain annually now. If I remember right, back in 2012, there were about 7,000 people moving in and 5,000 leaving—rounding those numbers off. Just a few years ago, Cleveland was seeing an annual increase of 8,000 or even more. Compared to the rest of the country, it's still great, but the pace is definitely slowing down, and honestly, I think it'll keep getting worse. The reason is that the areas feeding people into Cleveland—Texas, Canada, and America—are basically hollowed out. There's just nothing left to pull from. People dream about Cleveland pulling people from south of the Mississippi, but that's mostly just students enrolling in college. Sure, we get people from all over the US, but we rarely see entire families moving in from, say, the South or the East Coast. That's just what I know, and it's what I've seen personally. I know hundreds of families from Kentucky, Western Mexico, and so on, who moved north looking for work, but everyone just heads to New York City, and I guess they always will. Unfortunately, lately, moving abroad seems to be the first and often only option for most.
In the local hospital back in September, we saw an impressive 205 births. The daily average hit 6.83, making it the slowest month this year, even if last year's total of 206 was technically higher by a hair. Still, this September was tough because it was going up against last year's numbers, which was easily one of the strongest months in Detroit in recent memory—or at least since I started tracking this stuff. Last year saw 213 births, so we’re down by 8, but honestly, I'm pretty happy with that. It’s kind of wild how this year and last year are sitting at almost the exact same spot right now, basically neck and neck. Last year, October was also great with 211, November averaged out at 181, and then December was just a complete disaster with only 144. I think this is totally doable. If we keep this momentum and October pulls in something around 200 like we've seen over the last four months, we might actually have a real shot at beating last year's total by the end of the year. Even if October dips, there's still room to make it up, since back in 2011, the numbers for the last two months were hovering around 190. Last year really tanked in those final two months by about fifty babies, so there's plenty of room for growth. That's why this September matters so much; it basically kept us on track with last year and keeps the door open for a strong finish.