Worries are growing in Vermont and neighboring states that their low birth rates may eventually force employers to leave the region due to a shortage of workers.
The concern is highlighted by a new U.S. Census Bureau report saying that Vermont had the second-lowest birth rate in the country in 2006, with New Hampshire dead last and Maine eighth from the bottom.
The report says that in 2006, New Hampshire's birthrate was 42 babies per 1,000 women of childbearing age. The national rate was 54.9 births per thousand. Vermont closely followed New Hampshire with a rate of 42.2 births per 1,000 women of childbearing age.
Massachusetts and Rhode Island joined their northern New England neighbors in ranking near the bottom among the states for birth rates.