Amidst a system where over 360,000 children wait for stability, a single toddler's entrance into foster care represents both a profound failure and a resilient hope for our collective future.
Key Takeaways
- On September 30, 2022, there were 369,911 children in foster care in the United States
- In FY 2022, 51% of children entering foster care were male and 49% were female
- Children aged 1-5 years old accounted for 25% of all children in foster care on September 30, 2022
- Relative foster care placements housed 27% of children on 9/30/2022
- Group homes sheltered 7% of foster youth in FY 2022
- Non-relative foster family homes were the most common at 47% in FY 2022
- 40% of youth aged out homeless within 2 years post-18
- High school graduation rate for foster youth is 50-60% vs 84% general
- 20-25% of foster alumni experience homelessness by age 24
- 75% of foster care caseworkers leave within first year
- Caseloads average 28 children per worker nationally in 2022
- 32% vacancy rate for foster care caseworkers in 2021
- Federal Title IV-E funding covers 50% of costs in some states
- FY2023 federal foster care funding totaled $8.7 billion via Title IV-E
- States spend average $25,000 per child annually on foster care
Foster care houses many young children, but it urgently needs stability and support.
Demographics
1On September 30, 2022, there were 369,911 children in foster care in the United States
Verified2In FY 2022, 51% of children entering foster care were male and 49% were female
Verified3Children aged 1-5 years old accounted for 25% of all children in foster care on September 30, 2022
Verified4Black or African American children represented 23% of children in foster care in FY 2022, despite being 14% of the child population
Directional5In FY 2022, 77% of children in foster care were covered by Medicaid
Single source6Hispanic children made up 22% of foster care entries in FY 2022
Verified7Children under 1 year old comprised 8% of foster care entries in FY 2022
Verified8White children accounted for 44% of the foster care population on September 30, 2022
Verified9In FY 2022, 6% of children in foster care were American Indian or Alaska Native
Directional10Urban areas had 52% of children in foster care in FY 2022
Single source11In FY 2021, 20% of foster children had a diagnosed disability
Verified12Siblings entering foster care together were 34% in FY 2022
Verified13Children aged 11-15 were 28% of foster care population in FY 2022
Verified14Multiracial children were 10% of foster care entries in FY 2022
Directional15In FY 2022, 75% of foster children were non-Hispanic
Single source16Asian children represented 1% of foster care in FY 2022
Verified17Children aged 6-10 years were 22% in foster care on 9/30/2022
Verified18Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander children were 0.4% of foster care population
Verified19In FY 2022, 43% of foster children lived in suburban areas
Directional20Unknown race children were 5% in foster care FY 2022
Single source21In 2021, average age of children entering foster care was 7.6 years
Verified2217% of foster children had parental drug abuse as primary factor in FY 2022
Verified2340% of foster youth identified as LGBTQ+ in some surveys
Verified24In FY 2022, 52% of foster children were in non-relative placements
Directional25Children over 16 were 21% of foster care population in FY 2022
Single source268% of foster children had caregiver inability to care due to illness in FY 2022
Verified27In 2020, 25% of foster children were in kinship care
Verified28Female children aged 0-5 were 12% of total foster care in 2021
Verified29Male children aged 11+ were 30% in FY 2022
Directional30In FY 2022, 15% of foster children had abandonment as removal reason
Single source31Foster care entries peaked for ages 1-5 at 52,000 children in FY 2022
Verified3235% of children in foster care have three or more siblings also involved
VerifiedDemographics Interpretation
While each of these 370,000 stories is unique, the statistics paint a collective portrait of a system disproportionately cradling our nation's most vulnerable—from the shocking over-representation of young children of color to the sobering reality that for every sibling group kept together, there are two more children entering this labyrinth alone and on Medicaid, often because the adults in their lives succumbed to addiction, illness, or abandonment.
Funding
1Federal Title IV-E funding covers 50% of costs in some states
Verified2FY2023 federal foster care funding totaled $8.7 billion via Title IV-E
Verified3States spend average $25,000 per child annually on foster care
Verified4Kinship care saves $300 million annually vs traditional foster
Directional540% of foster care expenditures are for residential/group homes
Single source6Medicaid reimburses 60% of foster child health costs
Verified7Title IV-B funding is $740 million yearly for prevention
Verified8Prevention services funded $350 million via FCFC program 2022
Verified9Average adoption incentive payment $12,000 per child 2021
Directional1025 states increased kinship payments to match foster rates
Single source11Post-18 extended foster care costs $50,000 per youth yearly
Verified1215% of Title IV-E funds unclaimed due to admin hurdles
Verified13Residential treatment costs $400 per day per child
Verified14Quality improvement funding reached $105 million in 2022
Directional15Tribal IV-E plan funding covers 12,000 Native children
Single source16Emergency funds for kinship diverted $100 million in COVID relief
Verified17State general funds cover 40% of non-federal foster costs
Verified18Chafee program $140 million for independent living
Verified19Guardianship assistance payments average $600 monthly per child
Directional2070% of states reimburse kinship at lower rates than foster
Single source21Federal matching rate for IV-E is 50-83% by state per capita
Verified22Prevention pilot programs saved $1.1 billion over 5 years
Verified23School stability funding under ESSA supports $50 million foster aids
Verified24TANF transfers $1.5 billion to child welfare annually
Directional25Court improvement funding $30 million for 52 programs
Single source26Extended foster care serves 30,000 youth costing $1.5B yearly
VerifiedFunding Interpretation
The nation spends a fortune on foster care, proving it's far cheaper to keep families together, yet we still lavish funds on expensive interventions while pinching pennies on the aunts, uncles, and grandparents who do the work for less.
Outcomes
140% of youth aged out homeless within 2 years post-18
Verified2High school graduation rate for foster youth is 50-60% vs 84% general
Verified320-25% of foster alumni experience homelessness by age 24
Verified4Incarceration rate for former foster youth is 60% higher than peers
Directional5Only 3% of foster youth pursue postsecondary education vs 37% general
Single source651% of foster youth have PTSD rates comparable to war veterans
Verified7Early death rate for foster alumni is 4 times higher before age 30
Verified870% of foster youth reported sexual abuse victimization
Verified9Employment rate at age 24 for foster alumni is 48% full-time
Directional10Adoption rate from foster care is 25% of exits annually
Single source1117% of foster care exits are emancipation/aging out in FY 2022
Verified12Reunification success drops to 40% after 12 months in care
Verified1380% of foster children have developmental delays
Verified14Mental health diagnoses affect 75% of foster youth
Directional15Teen pregnancy rate in foster care is 3x national average
Single source1625% of US prison population were once in foster care
Verified17Average time to adoption is 25.8 months in FY 2022
Verified1850% of reunified children re-enter foster care within 3 years
Verified19Post-secondary completion rate for foster youth is 2-9%
Directional20Suicide attempt rate 4x higher for current foster youth
Single source2160% of child sex trafficking victims known to child welfare
Verified22Health insurance coverage post-aging out drops to 60% within year
Verified2342% of foster alumni report food insecurity at age 23-24
Verified24Long-term foster care exits to guardianship 12% in FY 2022
Directional25Foster youth 2.5x more likely to receive SSI disability
Single source2665% of foster children change schools at least once, disrupting education
Verified27Average income at age 24 for foster alumni $13,009 vs $22,000 peers
Verified2830% of foster youth involved in juvenile justice system
Verified29Re-abuse rate post-reunification is 15% within 6 months
DirectionalOutcomes Interpretation
The system designed to catch our most vulnerable children appears to be a catapult launching them into a grim adulthood of homelessness, incarceration, and trauma, all while wearing the bureaucratic disguise of care.
Placement Types
1Relative foster care placements housed 27% of children on 9/30/2022
Verified2Group homes sheltered 7% of foster youth in FY 2022
Verified3Non-relative foster family homes were the most common at 47% in FY 2022
Verified4Trial home visits accounted for 9% of placements on 9/30/2022
Directional5Institutional settings held 8% of foster children in FY 2022
Single source6Kinship foster care increased to 28% from 24% over five years prior to 2022
Verified7In FY 2022, 4% of foster children were in supervised independent living
Verified8Emergency shelter care was used for 2% of placements in FY 2022
Verified981% of foster placements were family-based (kinship or foster homes) in FY 2022
Directional10Pre-adoptive homes housed 25% of foster children awaiting adoption in FY 2022
Single source11In 2021, 20 states had over 50% of children in non-relative foster homes
Verified12Group home use declined 20% from 2017 to 2022
Verified136% of foster youth were in other planned permanent living arrangements in FY 2022
Verified14Foster family homes averaged 1.8 children per home in licensed settings 2021
Directional15Runaway status was 1% of placement types on 9/30/2022
Single source16Court-authorized care was 85% of kinship placements in FY 2022
Verified1712% of placements changed more than 3 times within first year in care average
Verified18Licensed kinship homes were 15% of total kinship in 2022
Verified19Institutional placements for ages 13-18 were 12% in FY 2022
Directional20Family foster care with parents was 3% in trial visits FY 2022
Single source2155% of foster children experienced 2+ placement changes in first 2 years
Verified22Shelter care duration averaged 21 days in FY 2022
Verified23Independent living programs served 15,000 youth aged 18+ in 2021
Verified2429% of children in foster care experienced 4 or more placements in 2020
Directional25Kinship care provided stability for 60% fewer moves than non-kin
Single source2675% of foster parents were licensed couples in 2021 survey
Verified27Group homes cost $200 more per day than family foster homes in 2022
Verified28Only 32% of foster children stayed in same school during placement change
VerifiedPlacement Types Interpretation
The numbers reveal a system where the heartening rise of kinship care fights against a chaotic tide of frequent moves, proving that while family-based placements are both more stable and cost-effective, we still have a long way to go in keeping children rooted in their schools, their communities, and a sense of home.
System Capacity
175% of foster care caseworkers leave within first year
Verified2Caseloads average 28 children per worker nationally in 2022
Verified332% vacancy rate for foster care caseworkers in 2021
Verified4Only 1 foster home per 10 children needing placement in shortage areas
Directional540 states reported foster home shortages in 2023 survey
Single source6Average tenure for foster caseworkers is 1.6 years
Verified7112,000 licensed foster homes in US as of 2021
Verified850% of counties have high foster home recruitment needs
Verified9Supervisor-to-worker ratio averages 1:7, leading to burnout
Directional1025% increase in foster parent recruitment needed by 2030
Single source11Tribal foster homes serve only 56% of Native children needs
Verified1260% of agencies report insufficient kinship navigator programs
Verified13Licensed foster parent retention rate is 45% after 2 years
Verified141.2 million investigations annually strain capacity
Directional15Urban areas have 20% fewer foster homes per capita
Single source16Training completion rate for new caseworkers 70%
Verified1735% of foster homes are kinship unlicensed due to capacity issues
Verified18Caseworker visits average 1.3 per month vs recommended 2
Verified1948 states have worker turnover over 20% annually
Directional20Foster parent support services reach only 40% of families
Single source21Shortage of therapeutic foster homes for special needs 30%
Verified2290,000 children wait for foster homes yearly
Verified23Bilingual caseworker shortage affects 25% of cases
Verified24Administrative costs consume 30% of foster care budgets
Directional25Only 20% of counties meet federal caseworker standards
Single source26Foster home licensing takes average 6 months, delaying placements
Verified2755% of workers report high stress impacting capacity
VerifiedSystem Capacity Interpretation
The system tasked with catching our most vulnerable children is itself a fraying net, where the hands meant to hold it are burning out, overloaded, and disappearing faster than they can be found.
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