In 2021, there were 168,063 white children in foster care in the United States. This is compared to 86,645 Black or African American children and 85,215 Hispanic children who were in foster care.

Foster care in the United States

Foster care is where minors are taken care of in different institutions, such as a group home or private home of a caregiver certified by the state (called a foster parent). The procedure for becoming a foster parent in the United States varies from state to state. It is up to the state to determine the process; however it is overseen by the Department of Child Protective Services. It is sometimes seen as a precursor to adoption, which is different from fostering a child. There are many barriers to fostering and adopting children, such as high costs and long wait times, which can discourage people from doing it.

Who are foster children?

The number of children in foster care in the United States has decreased slightly since 2011. When looked at by age, most of the children in foster care in 2020 were one year old, and slightly more male children were in foster care than female children. Most of the children in foster care were placed into non-relative foster family homes, and in most cases, the primary goal of foster care is to reunify children with their parents or primary caregivers.

In 2021, about 206,812 children in the United States entered into foster care in that year. This is a decrease from the previous year, when 216,842 children across the country entered into foster care.

In 2021, the majority of children living in foster care in the United States were living in foster homes. In that year, about 171,627 children were living in a foster family home with people to whom they were not related.

In the United States, most children living in foster care were in foster care for two years or less. However, in 2021, about 23,493 children living in foster care were in foster care for five years or more.

In 2022, about 368,530 children in the United States were living in foster care. This is a sharp decrease from the previous year, when about 407,318 children were living in foster care nationwide.

The adoption and child welfare industry has experienced overall growth even during the pandemic years, as increased stress-related service needs boosted demand and federal funding boosted revenues. While some service providers relied on private donations, corporate profit was strong in 2021. Technology adoption enabled remote delivery of services and expanded market reach, which helped reduce costs and enhance efficiency. Online matching platforms, VR training systems and case management software are examples of how technology has reduced costs and differentiated services to incentivize niche entry into underserved markets. And because of the strong growth in the number of establishments meeting demand and ample funding support during the pandemic, industry-wide revenue is expected to climb at a CAGR of 4.3% to $30.5 billion through 2025, with revenue growth inching up an estimated 1.7% in 2025 alone. The diversity of services offered and the unique characteristics of funding lead to disparate growth in services. Revenue for many establishments depends on the combination of government funding and private donations, which change with economic and government policy fluctuations, while demographic and social stressors impact the need for services. The disconnect between payors and clients creates an imbalance of funding and demand, adding to revenue volatility. Regional factors impact the provision of services and shortfalls. While demand in some states is growing because of increasing population, the long lead time to entry has led to a shortfall in provision.

Reorganizing key agencies under the new Administration for a Healthy America will bring some volatility to the industry. Government funding, crucial to more than half of industry revenue, faces volatility as restructuring could disrupt services, staffing and program effectiveness. This realignment offers potential efficiency gains through improved collaboration, but details about governance and resources remain in flux. Because of the uncertain impact of federal changes, private funding and state initiatives are vital for near-term future revenue growth. For-profit providers can leverage technology to reduce costs and capitalize on economies of scale, entering markets where nonprofits dominate. Telehealth innovations and online platforms lead to a broader reach and service efficiency, intensifying competition. As demand increases in rapidly growing states, nonprofit providers should streamline operations and secure diverse funding sources to meet community needs effectively. But despite numerous policy, technology and demographic shifts, industry revenue is forecast to climb at a slower CAGR of 1.2% through 2030 to total $32.5 billion with profit holding steady at a slim 3.1%.

In 2022, about 25,338 children under one-year-old in the United States were living in foster care. In that same year, about 20,163 children aged 16 years old were living in foster care nationwide.

In 2021, around 214,971 children in the United States exited foster care in that year. This is a decrease from the previous year, when about 224,425 children across the country exited foster care.

In the United States, the goal in the majority of foster care cases was to reunite children with their parents or primary caretakers. In 2021, this was the case for 201,297 children, or about 53 percent of the children in the foster care system.

In 2021, about 35,940 children who were adopted in the United States with public agency involvement were adopted by a married couple. In that same year, a further 13,307 children in the country were adopted by a single woman.

The numbers of single perpetrator relationships (unique count) are counted once for each relationship category. Perpetrators with two or more relationships are counted in the multiple relationship category. Numbers are for the most recent federal fiscal year for which data are available.

To view more National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) findings, click link to summary page below: https://healthdata.gov/stories/s/kaeg-w7jc

In 2023, around 16,438 children in California who were the victims of child abuse were in foster care, the most out of any state. Florida, Texas, Arizona, and Illinois rounded out the five leading states for children in foster care in that year.

Introduction

California Health and Human Services (CalHHS) single and multi-program participation counts with demographics by year and geography, both the Annual (cumulative) and July (point in time) files. The data dictionary for each file is loaded as a resource within the CSV preview page.

Background

The CalHHS Program Data and Dashboard contain participation data related to seven California Health & Human Services agency programs: CalWORKs, CalFresh, In-Home Supportive Services, Foster Care, Medi-Cal (California Medicaid), Women, Infants, & Children, and Developmental Services. Users are able to view these data at the county level or by legislative district level (U.S. Congress, State Assembly, State Senate). Statistics on persons served, persons per case, average grant amount, and basic demographics are presented in both tabular spreadsheets and customizable visualizations by program. In addition to presenting statistics for each program separately, the dashboard also provides data on the number of individuals participating in more than one program at the same time in a given district or county.

Methodology

The Children's Data Network has prepared a methodology document for the process involved in creating this data. If you would like to review the methodology used, please click the link below to visit the CalHHS Records Reconciliation Methodology. https://data.chhs.ca.gov/pages/calhhs-program-counts-methodology

According to a survey conducted in 2021, ** percent of Americans approved of parents adopting a child of a different race in the United States while ** percent of Americans approved of parents in a same sex relationship adopting a child in the United States.

During the fiscal year of 2021, 27,912 children who were adopted in the United States with public agency involvement were adopted by their foster parents. In that same year, a further 5,018 children were adopted by a non-relative.

According to a survey conducted in 2021, ** percent of Americans said that they were considering becoming a foster parent in the United States because they wanted to help a child in need. A further ** percent said that they were considering fostering a child because they were aware of the need for foster care parents.

In 2022, about 53,665 children in the United States were adopted with the involvement of the public child welfare agency. This is a decrease from the previous year, when 54,240 children were adopted with public child welfare agency involvement.

In 2022, about 108,877 children in the United States were waiting to be adopted. This is a decrease from a high of 133,682 children who were waiting to be adopted nationwide in 2007.

In the fiscal year of 2021, parental rights were terminated ****** times in the United States. This is an increase from the previous year, when parental rights were terminated in ****** cases nationwide.

In the fiscal year of 2021, 27,145 of the children adopted in the United States with public agency involvement were white. In that same year, a further 10,991 children adopted in the country were Hispanic.