Overview
- A peer-reviewed PLOS One study published Aug. 12, 2026, analyzed responses from 20,118 adults in the Civic Health and Institutions Project to estimate the share of U.S. adults who are childfree.
- Estimated state shares vary widely with California at about 22 percent and Michigan near 20 percent while Louisiana and North and South Dakota are near 9–10 percent.
- Individual characteristics such as being male, single, older, White, and politically liberal were the strongest statistical predictors of being childfree.
- Some state features, including larger population size and higher cost of living, correlate with higher childfree shares but an apparent link to stronger abortion protections disappeared after controlling for other factors.
- The authors say these results, together with long-term increases in the childfree share of non-parents, mean state-level pro-natalist policies are unlikely to persuade people who explicitly do not want children to become parents.