Birth boom driven by real estate costs, crime rates

The District has been experiencing a boom in births over the last decade thanks to a combination of dropping crime, a renewed interest in urban living and changing housing prices.

The number of babies born in the District each year rose from roughly 7,500 in 2002 and 2003 to slightly more than 9,000 in 2008, according to Peter Tatian, senior research associate at the Urban Institute’s Metropolitan Housing and Communities Policy Center. Since 2008, the number has been between about 9,100 and 9,200, he said.