LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- California's birth rate dropped to its lowest ever in 2016, according to data released by the state's Department of Finance.
Between July 2015 and July of this year, there were 12.42 births per 1,000 Californians.
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The last time birth rates came close to being that low was during the Great Depression, when they hit 12.6 in 1933.
The current low birth rate is part of a years-long downward trend that likely stems from Californians increasingly attending college, taking longer to graduate and taking some time to pursue their careers.
KABC
Newborn babies are seen in an undated file photo.