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The number of 18-year-olds is about to drop sharply, packing a wallop for colleges — and the economy 

The Hechinger Report

By 2039, this estimate shows, there will likely be 650,000, or 15 percent, fewer of them per year than there are now. An analysis by the higher education consulting firm Ruffalo Noel Levitz using the latest available census figures now projects another drop in the number of 18-year-olds beginning in 2033, after a brief uptick.

Economics 144
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College Uncovered: The Demographic Cliff

The Hechinger Report

history, precipitating the global financial crisis. Wes Butterfield] Anytime we reach those types of points in our history, birth rates go down. By 2039, there will be 15 percent fewer 18-year-olds per year than there are now. Archival news footage] Monday, Sept. Lehman Brothers files the largest bankruptcy in U.S.