# Lyman Stone

> Lyman Stone is a demographer who has become one of the most-quoted voices on why people are having fewer babies. He directs the Pronatalism Initiative at the Institute for Family Studies and serves as Director of Research at Demographic Intelligence, where he builds forecasting models of fertility and family formation. A Kentuckian economist turned population scientist, he completed his PhD at McGill University and is a fixture in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and on podcasts like Modern Wisdom, arguing that falling birth rates are less about money and more about marriage, meaning, and the things people want but never get around to.

- **Role:** Senior Fellow & Director of the Pronatalism Initiative at the Institute for Family Studies; Director of Research at Demographic Intelligence
- **Organizations:** Institute for Family Studies, Demographic Intelligence, Charlotte Lozier Institute, American Enterprise Institute, Cardus, McGill University
- **From:** Kentucky, USA
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** BA, Economics, Transylvania University, MA, International Trade and Investment Policy, George Washington University, Elliott School of International Affairs, PhD, Sociology / Population Dynamics (demography), McGill University
- **Known for:** Founding Director of the Pronatalism Initiative at the Institute for Family Studies., Director of Research at Demographic Intelligence, a firm of leading demographers building demographic and economic forecasting models., Work cited and published in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Boston Globe, Vox, City Journal, and the South China Morning Post.

## Career timeline

- **2013** — Earns BA in Economics from Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky.
- **2015** — Completes MA in International Trade and Investment Policy at George Washington University.
- **2015-2017** — Works at a tax-policy think tank on taxes and migration - how taxes shape where people choose to live - and begins blogging about migration and spatial economics.
- **2017** — Serves as an international economist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service, forecasting cotton market conditions.
- **2018** — Becomes a research fellow at the Institute for Family Studies and an adjunct fellow at the American Enterprise Institute; pivots fully into demography.
- **2020** — Builds out work as Director of Research at Demographic Intelligence, developing fertility and family-formation forecasting models.
- **2022** — Begins PhD studies in population dynamics at McGill University while living in Montreal.
- **2024** — IFS launches the Pronatalism Initiative with Stone as its Senior Fellow and Director.
- **2025** — Completes his PhD at McGill; widely featured across major media and podcasts on the global fertility decline.

## Achievements

- Founding Director of the Pronatalism Initiative at the Institute for Family Studies.
- Director of Research at Demographic Intelligence, a firm of leading demographers building demographic and economic forecasting models.
- Work cited and published in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Boston Globe, Vox, City Journal, and the South China Morning Post.
- Frequent expert guest on major podcasts including Modern Wisdom and the Mercatus Macro Musings program.
- Completed a PhD in population dynamics at McGill University.
- Associate Scholar at the Charlotte Lozier Institute and affiliate of multiple research institutions.

## Latest updates

- **2025-06** — Featured on Modern Wisdom (#962) discussing 'The Real Reason Birth Rates Are Falling.'
- **2024** — Named founding Director of IFS's new Pronatalism Initiative, researching housing and family-formation policy.
- **2025** — Completed PhD in population dynamics at McGill University.

## Links

- Website: https://sites.google.com/view/lymanstone/home
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/lymanstoneky

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/lyman-stone
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-02