Picture this: over half of all children entering foster care last year were under six years old, a startling fact that opens the door to a deeper exploration of who these children are, why they need care, and how our systems are working to support their fragile beginnings.
Key Takeaways
- In FY 2022, 52% of children entering foster care were aged 0-5 years old, representing over 100,000 children primarily due to neglect.
- Among children in foster care placements in 2021, 44% were White, 23% Black, 22% Hispanic, and 11% other races or multiracial.
- 57% of foster children in placements had a primary reason of neglect for removal in FY 2021, totaling 205,000 cases.
- Group homes accounted for 7% of all foster care placements in FY 2022, housing about 28,000 children.
- Kinship foster care placements rose to 32% of total placements in 2021, up from 29% in 2018.
- In FY 2020, 42% of children were placed in non-relative foster family homes.
- The average number of placement moves per child in foster care was 2.7 over their stay in FY 2021.
- 34% of children experienced 3 or more placement changes during their foster care episode in 2022.
- In FY 2020, 41% of foster children had stable placements with no moves.
- 52% of children exiting foster care to reunification did so within 12 months of entry in FY 2022.
- Guardianship exits accounted for 25% of all foster care discharges in 2021, totaling 52,000 children.
- Adoption rates from foster care: 24% of exits in FY 2020, with average age 7.8 years at finalization.
- There were 216,000 licensed foster homes available for placements in FY 2022.
- Foster parent retention rate: 52% renewed licenses after first year in 2021.
- Average foster parent age: 47 years, with 68% married couples in FY 2020.
Young children enter foster care most often, primarily due to neglect.
Child Demographics
- In FY 2022, 52% of children entering foster care were aged 0-5 years old, representing over 100,000 children primarily due to neglect.
- Among children in foster care placements in 2021, 44% were White, 23% Black, 22% Hispanic, and 11% other races or multiracial.
- 57% of foster children in placements had a primary reason of neglect for removal in FY 2021, totaling 205,000 cases.
- In 2020, 8% of children in foster care were under 1 year old at entry into placement, often linked to parental substance abuse.
- Females comprised 51% of the foster care population in placements during FY 2022, slightly higher than males at 49%.
- 15% of children in foster care placements in 2021 were in sibling groups, with 70% of those groups placed together.
- In FY 2020, 23% of foster children were Hispanic/Latino, with higher rates in states like California and Texas.
- Children with disabilities accounted for 28% of foster care placements in 2022, including 14% with emotional disturbances.
- In 2021, 76% of children entering foster care were from urban areas, compared to 24% from rural placements.
- African American children represented 23% of foster care entries but only 14% of the general child population in FY 2022.
- 12% of foster children in placements had a history of multiple prior removals averaging 2.3 entries per child in 2021.
- Native American children comprised 2% of foster care but 1.7 times overrepresented in placements in FY 2020.
- In 2022, 34% of foster youth aged 13-18 were in placements, with higher rates of LGBTQ+ identification at 15-20%.
- 61% of children in foster care placements experienced maltreatment by their mother only in FY 2021 reports.
- Asian/Pacific Islander children were 1% of foster placements in 2020, the smallest demographic group.
- In FY 2022, 19% of foster children had prenatal drug exposure noted at entry into placement.
- 45% of foster care entrants under 6 were placed due to caregiver drug abuse in 2021.
- Multiracial children increased to 11% of foster placements in FY 2022 from 9% in 2018.
- In 2020, 7% of foster children were immigrants or had non-citizen status in placements.
- Boys aged 6-12 made up 22% of all foster care placements in FY 2021.
- 29% of foster children in placements had at least one parent with incarceration history in 2022.
- In FY 2020, 52,000 children aged 0-5 entered foster care, highest entry age group.
- 14% of foster placements involved children with intellectual disabilities in 2021.
- Hispanic girls under 10 were 11% of placements in FY 2022.
- 3% of foster care children identified as LGBTQ+ in official 2021 placement records.
- In 2020, 67% of foster entrants were non-Hispanic White or Black.
- 18% of placements involved children with physical health issues in FY 2022.
- Foster children from families with domestic violence history: 42% in 2021 entries.
- In FY 2021, 25% of foster placements were repeat entries within 12 months.
- 9% of foster children aged 17+ were unaccompanied minors in placements 2022.
Child Demographics Interpretation
The statistics paint a starkly predictable tragedy: a system overflowing with the nation's youngest, most vulnerable children, predominantly from marginalized communities, who are removed not from dramatic malice but from the quiet crises of neglect and addiction, only to be cycled through a maze of instability that too often fails to break the generational patterns it was meant to fix.
Foster Parent and System Capacity
- There were 216,000 licensed foster homes available for placements in FY 2022.
- Foster parent retention rate: 52% renewed licenses after first year in 2021.
- Average foster parent age: 47 years, with 68% married couples in FY 2020.
- 29% of foster parents had prior child welfare involvement in 2022 surveys.
- Training completion rate for new foster parents: 88% pre-placement in FY 2021.
- Kinship caregivers receiving payments: 55% of relative placements in 2020.
- Foster-to-adopt parents: 18% of licensed homes specialized in 2022.
- Shortage of foster homes for teens: 40% unmet demand in urban areas FY 2021.
- Average monthly reimbursement per foster child: $752 in non-relative homes 2020.
- 12% of foster parents quit due to financial strain in 2022 reports.
- Racial diversity in foster parents: 55% White, 22% Black, 15% Hispanic in FY 2021.
- Support services accessed by 73% of foster parents monthly in 2020.
- New foster parent recruitment: 45,000 annually but 60,000 needed in FY 2022.
- 64% of foster parents were employed full-time while providing care in 2021.
- Specialized training for trauma-informed care: 65% of foster parents certified in 2020.
- Foster parent satisfaction rate: 78% would foster again in 2022 surveys.
- Capacity for sibling groups: 35% of homes licensed for 3+ children in FY 2021.
- Respite care utilization: 42% of foster parents used annually in 2020.
- 7% of foster parents were former foster youth themselves in 2022.
- Liability insurance coverage for foster parents: 96% in licensed homes FY 2021.
- Foster parent-to-child ratio averaged 1:2.1 in family homes 2020.
- Online recruitment platforms reached 25% of new foster parents in 2022.
- 51% of kinship caregivers were grandmothers providing placements in FY 2021.
- Burnout rate among foster parents: 28% after 2 years in 2020.
- Incentives like stipends increased recruitment by 15% in pilot programs FY 2022.
- 82% of foster parents reported adequate caseworker support in 2021 surveys.
- Licensed homes decreased 2% in rural areas due to capacity issues in 2020.
- Therapeutic foster parent certification: 22% of total licensed in FY 2022.
- Foster parent advocacy groups served 35 states with capacity building in 2021.
- Average tenure of active foster parents: 4.3 years in 2020 data.
- 19% increase in bilingual foster parents needed for diverse placements in FY 2022.
Foster Parent and System Capacity Interpretation
The statistics reveal a foster care system where dedicated, often older caregivers open their hearts and homes, yet it's plagued by a chronic shortage of willing families—especially for teens—where financial strain and burnout churn through half of new parents, and where genuine support, not just licensing, is needed to transform compassion into sustainable care.
Placement Settings
- Group homes accounted for 7% of all foster care placements in FY 2022, housing about 28,000 children.
- Kinship foster care placements rose to 32% of total placements in 2021, up from 29% in 2018.
- In FY 2020, 42% of children were placed in non-relative foster family homes.
- Trial home visits represented 6% of foster placements in 2022, totaling 24,000 episodes.
- Residential treatment facilities held 9% of foster youth in placements during FY 2021.
- 52% of placements were in traditional foster family homes in 2020.
- Institutional settings comprised 11% of placements for children over 13 in FY 2022.
- Shelters and emergency placements: 4% of total foster care settings in 2021.
- In 2022, 28% of placements were kinship care with relatives receiving formal support.
- Supervised independent living for youth 18+ was 3% of placements in FY 2020.
- 15% of foster placements were in therapeutic foster homes for children with behavioral needs in 2021.
- Pre-adoptive homes accounted for 24% of placements in FY 2022.
- Out-of-state placements: 1.5% of total foster care, or 6,000 children in 2021.
- In FY 2020, 37% of placements were with non-kin foster parents licensed for multiple children.
- Runaway/missing status from placements: 0.5% daily average in 2022 reports.
- 8% of placements were in qualified residential treatment programs (QRTPs) post-2019 law.
- Foster family homes with treatment capabilities: 12% of settings in FY 2021.
- In 2022, 5% of placements were court-ordered therapeutic group homes.
- Kinship placements without formal licensing: 10% of relative care in 2020.
- 20% of placements for infants under 2 were in kinship settings in FY 2022.
- Emergency foster homes: 3% of initial placements lasting under 30 days in 2021.
- 14% of older youth placements (16+) were in independent living programs in 2020.
- Post-permanency foster placements: 2% of ongoing settings in FY 2022.
- Specialized foster care for medically fragile: 4% of total placements in 2021.
- Average number of children per foster family home placement: 1.8 in FY 2020.
- 6% of placements were in psychiatric residential treatment facilities in 2022.
Placement Settings Interpretation
These numbers paint a picture of a system straining to be a family, where the ideal of kinship care grows alongside the sobering reality that for many children, a treatment plan is still the closest thing to a home.
Placement Stability
- The average number of placement moves per child in foster care was 2.7 over their stay in FY 2021.
- 34% of children experienced 3 or more placement changes during their foster care episode in 2022.
- In FY 2020, 41% of foster children had stable placements with no moves.
- Placement disruptions within first 6 months: 22% for children over age 11 in 2021.
- Average duration in first foster placement: 8.2 months in FY 2022.
- 15% of placements ended due to behavioral issues of the child in 2020.
- Sibling placements maintained stability in 78% of cases without separation in FY 2021.
- Kinship placements had 25% fewer disruptions than non-kin in 2022 data.
- 28% of children aged 0-5 experienced one placement move in FY 2020.
- High disruption rate for group homes: 45% annual turnover in 2021.
- Median time to second placement: 4.5 months for children entering in 2022.
- 12% of foster placements disrupted due to foster parent issues in FY 2021.
- Stability improved for kinship care: 62% no moves vs 48% non-kin in 2020.
- 19% of teens aged 13-17 had 4+ placements in their foster care history by 2022.
- Placement stability rate for infants: 55% remained in first home over 12 months in FY 2021.
- 7% annual disruption rate for therapeutic foster homes in 2020.
- Children with disabilities had 3.1 average moves vs 2.4 for non-disabled in 2022.
- 36% of children reunified after first placement without move in FY 2021.
- Placement spell length averaged 20.1 months overall in 2020.
- 24% disruption due to geographic relocation needs in FY 2022.
- Foster homes with prior disruptions: 18% rejected future placements in 2021.
- 51% of stable placements lasted over 2 years for children entering pre-2020.
- Multiple moves correlated with 40% higher mental health issues in 2022 studies.
- 9% of placements ended abruptly within 30 days in FY 2021.
- Kinship stability: 71% retention rate after 1 year in 2020.
- Average moves for Black children: 3.0 vs 2.5 for White in FY 2022.
- 16% of placements stabilized post-therapeutic intervention in 2021.
- Long-term placements (over 3 years): 22% of foster care episodes in 2020.
- Disruption prevention programs reduced moves by 30% in pilot states FY 2022.
- 67% of reunified children had fewer than 2 prior placements in 2021.
Placement Stability Interpretation
Behind these numbers, the system reveals its flaws and its hopes: while kinship care and early intervention offer stability, far too many children are still bounced through placements like emotional pinballs, with each move deepening the scars of displacement.
Reunification and Exits
- 52% of children exiting foster care to reunification did so within 12 months of entry in FY 2022.
- Guardianship exits accounted for 25% of all foster care discharges in 2021, totaling 52,000 children.
- Adoption rates from foster care: 24% of exits in FY 2020, with average age 7.8 years at finalization.
- 20% of children aged out of foster care without permanency in 2022, numbering 20,000 youth.
- Median time to reunification: 8.1 months for non-relative placements in FY 2021.
- Kinship reunifications: 28% higher success rate than non-kin in 2020 data.
- 47% of foster care exits were reunifications in FY 2022.
- Aging out at 18+ represented 8% of exits but 15% of long-stay children in 2021.
- Post-reunification re-entry rate: 12% within 12 months in FY 2020.
- Adoption finalizations took average 25.4 months from entry in 2022.
- 33% of children under 9 exited to adoption or guardianship in FY 2021.
- Transfer to tribal authority: 1% of exits, primarily Native children in 2020.
- 55% reunification success for neglect-only cases in FY 2022.
- Emancipation exits increased 5% post-COVID in 2021 to 23,000 cases.
- 18% of exits were to guardianship with relatives in non-kin initial placements 2020.
- Average age at adoption exit: 8.2 years in FY 2021.
- Re-entry after adoption reversal: 0.8% of prior exits in 2022.
- 62% of reunifications occurred within first kinship placement in FY 2020.
- Youth over 14 had 10% adoption rate at exit in 2021.
- Long-term foster care exits: 4% to other planned permanency in FY 2022.
- 76% of children reunified had parents completing substance abuse treatment in 2020.
- Death as exit reason: 0.2% or 300 cases annually in FY 2021.
- Interstate adoptions finalized 85% of compact cases in 2022.
- 41% exit rate within 24 months for all foster entries in FY 2020.
- Post-guardianship monitoring: 90% stable at 1-year follow-up in 2021.
- Sibling adoptions together: 68% of group exits in FY 2022.
- 14% re-entry rate for children reunified after drug-related removal in 2020.
- Adoption assistance subsidies supported 92% of adoptive families in 2021.
- 27% of exits to relatives via kinship guardianship in FY 2022.
- Median exit time to any permanency: 14.2 months in 2021.
- 9% of exits were to permanent living arrangements other than above in FY 2020.
Reunification and Exits Interpretation
While the foster care system celebrates swift reunifications for over half of its children, it still fails one in five youth who age out without permanency, revealing a heartbreaking dichotomy of efficiency for some and institutional abandonment for others.