| Foster Care Children Statistics | Data |
| Number of kids in foster care at any point in time | 400,540 |
| Cost for one child to be in foster care for a year | $23,500 |
| Total annual federal and state cost of the foster care system | $9,000,000,000 |
| Median age of the children in foster care | 6.6 years old |
| Type of Foster Care Living | Percent of Kids |
| Nonrelative foster family homes | 47 % |
| Relative foster homes | 27 % |
| Institutions | 9 % |
| Group Homes | 6 % |
| Trial home visits (State supervision) | 5 % |
| Preadoptive homes | 4 % |
| Run away | 1 % |
| Supervised independent living | 1 % |
| Permanency Goals | Percent of Kids |
| Goal of the children living in foster care… | |
| Reunification with parents or principle caretaker | 52 % |
| Adoption | 25 % |
| Long-term foster care | 6 % |
| Emancipation | 5 % |
| Living with other relative | 3 % |
| Guardianship | 4 % |
| No plan established | 5 % |
| Foster Care Outcomes | Percent of Kids |
| of the children who exit foster care… | |
| Reunited with parents or primary caretaker | 52 % |
| Adopted | 20 % |
| Emancipated | 11 % |
| Live with another relative | 8 % |
| Live with a guardian | 6 % |
| Other outcomes | 3 % |
| Average Length of Stay in Foster Care | Percent of Kids |
| Less than 1 month | 12 % |
| 1 to 11 months | 34 % |
| 12 to 23 months | 25 % |
| 24 to 35 months | 12 % |
| 3 to 4 years | 9 % |
| 5 or more years | 7 % |
| Race and Ethnicity of Foster Children | Percent of Kids |
| White | 41 % |
| Black | 27 % |
| Hispanic | 21 % |
| Multiracial | 10 % |
| Main Reasons Child Enters Foster Care | |
| Physical Abuse | 28 % |
| Sexual Abuse | 14 % |
| Abandonment | 13 % |
| Neglect | 8 % |
| Juvenile Offender | 8 % |
| Medical Neglect | 7 % |
| Runaway | 6 % |
| Death | 3 % |
| Other | 13 % |
Demographics Tags: Children
Statistic Sources & References
Sources: US Department of Health and Human Services
Date research was conducted: March 29, 2017
Foster Care Children Statistics