Locations
United States
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Why This Indicator Matters
Foster care is a temporary living situation for children whose parents cannot take care of them and whose need for care has come to the attention of child welfare agency staff. While in foster care, children may live with relatives, with foster families or in group facilities.
Use the filters on the left to view juvenile incarceration rates by state and year.
How many children are in foster care in the United States? What is the long-term impact of foster care placement?
Child Welfare
Learn how the Casey Foundation is ensuring that children who have been abused or neglected grow up in families and get the help they need to heal, build lasting family relationships and reach their full potential.
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Use the filters on the left to view juvenile incarceration rates by state and year.
Learn More About Foster Care in the United States
What Is Foster CareHow many children are in foster care in the United States? What is the long-term impact of foster care placement?
Child Welfare
Learn how the Casey Foundation is ensuring that children who have been abused or neglected grow up in families and get the help they need to heal, build lasting family relationships and reach their full potential.
Definition and Source
PROVIDER
Definition
The number of children and youth in the foster care system. Some states allow children to remain in the foster care system until their 18th birthday while other states have age limits that extend a few years beyond this. The current indicator includes children of all ages. Youth are categorized as being in foster care if they entered prior to the end of the current fiscal year and have not been discharged from their latest foster care spell by the end of the current fiscal year. National estimates include Puerto Rico.
Data Source
Child Trends analysis of data from the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS), made available through the National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect.
The data used in this publication, Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) 2021 #274, were obtained from the National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect and have been used in accordance with its Terms of Use Agreement license. The Administration on Children, Youth and Families, the Children's Bureau, the original dataset collection personnel or funding source, NDACAN, Cornell University and their agents or employees bear no responsibility for the analyses or interpretations presented here.
The data used in this publication, Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) 2021 #274, were obtained from the National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect and have been used in accordance with its Terms of Use Agreement license. The Administration on Children, Youth and Families, the Children's Bureau, the original dataset collection personnel or funding source, NDACAN, Cornell University and their agents or employees bear no responsibility for the analyses or interpretations presented here.
Notes
Last Updated
April 2023