States with fewer childcare regulations see a smaller discrepancy between the number of children people desire and the number they actually have.

By Anna Claire Flowers, Vincent Geloso, Clara Piano and Lyman Stone
Published by the Manhattan Institute, City Journal

American women are having fewer children than they wish. One estimate indicates the average fertility gap in the U.S. is 0.76. This gap represents the difference between an individual’s ideal number of children and the actual number of children they have. In some cases, this difference is nearly one child.

However, this gap varies widely among different states. In North Dakota, the gap is about one-third of a child. Conversely, states like New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Alaska see gaps that exceed one child.

The disparity suggests that varying childcare regulations might influence how closely people can achieve their ideal family size.