Statistics on youth in foster care reported in compliance with Local Law 145 amended by City Council. Cells with one to five youth are not shown to protect anonymity.

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 dataset contains demographic and case characteristics of children in foster care each month. The dataset includes the children’s sex, age, race, goal and average time spent in foster care in Norfolk. The data is from Virginia’s Online Automated Services Information System (OASIS). OASIS is a comprehensive system that tracks the day-to-day activities performed by social workers statewide and is the official case record system for foster care and adoption cases in Virginia.

This dataset details the work accomplished by staff at the Norfolk Department of Human Services with the goal of finding safe, permanent homes for children in Norfolk’s foster care system. This dataset is updated monthly.

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.

The Performance Dashboard (formerly Performance Outcomes System) datasets are developed in line with legislative mandates to improve outcomes and inform decision making regarding individuals receiving Medi-Cal Specialty Mental Health Services (SMHS). The Dashboard gathers information relevant to specific mental health outcomes and provides useful summary reports for ongoing quality improvement and to support decision making. Please note: the Excel file Performance Dashboard has been discontinued and replaced with the SMHS Performance Dashboards found on Behavioral Health Reporting (ca.gov).

Increase the percentage of children who experience two or fewer foster home placement settings within a 12 month period from 72.9% in 2013 to 83.3% by 2019.

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.

1. Scope and object of statistics: All child welfare projects based on the Child and Youth Welfare and Rights Protection Act are included in the statistics.2. Standard time for statistics: The dynamic data is based on the facts from January to March for the first quarter, April to June for the second quarter, July to September for the third quarter, and October to December for the fourth quarter. Static data is based on the facts at the end of March, June, September, and December.3. Classification standards: Divided according to the "number of foster families," "number of foster children and youth," and "foster care expenses."4. For detailed information and descriptions, please refer to the "Taichung City Government Statistics Network Information - Query of Public Office Statistics Plans for Various Agencies."

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.

The AFCARS Trends Chart tracks children in Foster Care from FY 2002 through the most recent year. A table of data and a graphic depiction of trends are shown for children in care on the first day of the year, entries to foster care, exits, children waiting to be adopted, children adopted, children with terminations of parental rights, and total children served in foster care.

Reduce the foster care entry rate from 6.3 per 1,000 in 2013 to 4.9 per 1,000 by 2019 by increasing the number of children who remain safely in their own homes.

In 2022, around 18,144 children in California who were the victims of child abuse were in foster care, the most out of any state. Florida, Texas, Illinois, and Indiana rounded out the five leading states for children in foster care in that year.

Data table showing children in foster care by their CD of origin and median time from placement to date of data pull for each CD. Sources: CCRS, Connections Prepared By: ACS/DPPM /ORA/JACWR

VariableDescriptionTime FrameChildren in foster carePoint in time counts of children placed in Foster Care.Point in time data as of 12/31/2021If an estimated child population for a CSA for any of the above categories (denominator) was 50 or less, the number of referrals or cases (numerator) for that ethnicity was reduced to zero. CSAs range in size and population, from the City of Long Beach to small unincorporated enclaves encompassing a few city blocks. Communities that had low overall populations might have a “Gossip Factor”, in which counts for all ethnicities were reduced to zero.

Excel table that shows foster care placements by community district and borough of origin

In 2023, the largest group of foster children in South Korea, at 3,644 children, were aged 18 years and older. Most foster kids lived in regular foster care. The total number of foster children has declined steadily over the past few years.

The Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) is a federally mandated data collection system intended to provide case specific information on all children covered by the protections of Title IV-B/E of the Social Security Act (Section 427). Under the Final 1993 AFCARS’ rule, states are required to collect and submit data on all children who are under the responsiblity of the title IV-B/IV-E agency for placement, care, or supervision. Units of Response: Children in Foster Care Type of Data: Administrative Tribal Data: Unavailable Periodicity: Semiannual Demographic Indicators: Disability;Geographic Areas;Sex SORN: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2016/12/14/2016-29366/adoption-and-foster-care-analysis-and-reporting-system Data Use Agreement: https://www.ndacan.acf.hhs.gov/datasets/order_forms/termsofuseagreement.pdf Data Use Agreement Location: https://www.ndacan.acf.hhs.gov/datasets/order_forms/termsofuseagreement.pdf Granularity: Individual Spatial: United States Geocoding: FIPS Code

The National Foster Care & Adoption Directory (formerly the National Adoption Directory) offers adoption and foster care resources by State.

In 2023, there were ***** foster children living in Gyeonggi (Gyeonggi Province), South Korea. This was the province with the most foster children, followed by Seoul and Jeonnam (South Jeolla Province).