Births continue to decline in Kane County; passport applications rising

Fewer people were born in Kane County in 2024 than the year before, continuing a yearslong downward trend, according to the Kane County clerk’s office.

In 2024, 5,751 births were recorded in Kane County, a decrease of 4.2% from 2023.

The vital statistics numbers were presented in a report to the county board’s public services committee last week.

Births have been declining since 2010, when there were 8,787 reported births.

Deaths decreased by 2.34% from 2023 to 2024, with 3,625 recorded.

Meanwhile, the number of marriage licenses issued was up 5.38%, according to the report.

Passport applications were also up by 7.91% from 2023.

Brian Pollock, a clerk’s office employee, said interest in passports has surged this month.

“Our office has been swamped with passport (work),” he said. The average was 52 applications daily during the first eight days of January, including 131 on Jan. 3.

That does not include people renewing their passports.

“This January’s numbers that we are going to report next month is going to be a blowout,” Pollock told the committee.

He said a lot of it was people getting passports for their children.

The report also noted that the number of civil union licenses issued was 12. The highest it ever was was 138 in 2011, the year Illinois legalized civil unions.