Community Birth: Data & Source Library

This section provides key data points and full source citations to support advocates, researchers, and policymakers advancing midwife-led, community-based care.
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Home Birth Data

• 54,071 home births occurred in the U.S. in 2022 (1.5% of all births).
  Source: Martin et al., 2024 – CDC Final Birth Data
• 2021: 51,642 home births (1.41%).
  Source: Martin et al., 2024 – CDC Final Birth Data

Birth Center Data

• ~24,000 birth center births in 2022 (0.65% of U.S. births).
  Source: Martin et al., 2024; UpToDate (2025)
• Birth center births grew 65% from 2011–2021; U.S. births fell by 7%.
  Source: AABC – Birth Centers Are Growing, 2022
• 400+ birth centers across 40 states + DC (as of Jan 2022).
  Source: AABC – Birth Centers Are Growing, 2022

CPM Workforce Data

• CPMs attend 95% of home births in the U.S.
  Source: NACPM internal data
• CPMs work in 70% of freestanding birth centers.
  Source: Ulrich et al., 2022 – AJPH

Cost of Care

• Home birth: $4,650
  Source: Anderson & Gilkison, 2021
• Birth center birth: $8,309
  Source: Anderson & Gilkison, 2021
• Hospital vaginal birth: $13,562
  Source: Anderson & Gilkison, 2021
• Birth center savings: $2,010 per birth
  Source: Ulrich et al., 2022 – AJPH

Cost Savings Potential

• 1% shift of births from hospitals to home = $321 million saved.
  Source: Anderson & Gilkison, 2021
• Midwife-led care at 20% of births = $4 billion in annual savings.
  Source: Kozhimannil et al., 2019

Avoidable Outcomes & Economic Impact

• $63.9 billion in annual health costs from preterm and low birth weight births.
  Source: Rodriguez-Alcala et al., 2024
• $28.5 billion saved if those were reduced by 50%.
  Source: Rodriguez-Alcala et al., 2024
• $78.6 billion in total potential savings (~0.36% of U.S. GDP).
  Source: Rodriguez-Alcala et al., 2024
• $876.59 average non-medical perinatal cost per birth = $3 billion total.
  Source: Rodriguez-Alcala et al., 2024
• Lost productivity in 2020: $1.31B (U.S.), $13.96M (Arkansas).
  Source: Rodriguez-Alcala et al., 2024

Full References

• American Association of Birth Centers (AABC). (2022). Birth Centers Are Growing. Retrieved from https://www.birthcenters.org/birth-centers-are-growing
• Anderson, D. A., & Gilkison, G. M. (2021). The Cost of Home Birth in the United States. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(19). Retrieved from https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/19/10241
• Kozhimannil, K. B., Hardeman, R. R., & Alman, C. (2019). More Midwife-Led Care Could Generate Cost Savings and Health Improvements. University of Minnesota Policy Brief. Retrieved from https://www.ruralhealthresearch.org/publications/1399
• March of Dimes. (2022). Nowhere to Go: Maternity Care Deserts Across the U.S. Retrieved from https://www.marchofdimes.org/research/maternity-care-deserts-report.aspx
• Martin, J. A., Hamilton, B. E., Osterman, M. J. K., & Valenzuela, C. P. (2024). Births: Final Data for 2022. National Vital Statistics Reports, 73(2), 1–39. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr73/nvsr73-02.pdf
• Rodriguez-Alcala, M., Herron, M., & Nichols, L. (2024). The Economic Case for Investing in Maternal Health. Heartland Forward. Retrieved from https://heartlandforward.org/research/the-economic-case-for-investing-in-maternal-health/
• Ulrich, S., et al. (2022). Scaling the Strong Start Birth Centers: The Association of Birth Center Accreditation With Outcomes and Costs of Care. American Journal of Public Health, 112(5), 778–786. Retrieved from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35298235/
• UpToDate. (2025). Birth Centers. Edited by Rebecca F. Connor, Wolters Kluwer. Accessed April 9, 2025.