Children in Foster Care

The following table shows the number and percent of children in foster care in the United States, according to age, gender, race, and length of stay.

Percent /Number

Total 532,000

Ages
Under 1 year /5%/ 24,290
1–5 years /22 /128,946
6–10 years /24 /116,801
11–15 years /30 /158,290
16–18 years /17 /92,091
19 years and over /2 /10,321

Gender
Male /52 /278,916
Female /48 /252,932




Race/ethnicity
White, non-Hispanic /39% /205,478
Black, non-Hispanic /37 /195,040
Hispanic /17 /89,177
American Indian/Alaskan Native,
non-Hispanic /2 /9,792
Asian, non-Hispanic /1 /3,423
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander,
non-Hispanic /0 /1,465
Unknown/unable to determine /3 /14,432
Two or more races non-Hispanic /2 /12,986




Lengths of stay
Less than 1 month /5 /23,948
1–5 months /18 /94,399
6–11 months /16 /84,707
12–17 months /12 /62,036
18–23 months/ 8 /45,008
24–29 months /7/ 36,236
30–35 months/ 5 /27,196
3–4 years /13 /70,754
5 years or more/ 16 /87,694

(Click on title of post to see original table.)


NOTE: Preliminary FY 2002 estimates as of August 2004. Percentages may not add up to 100% and numbers may not add up to totals due to rounding.
1. Hispanic can be of any race.
Source: U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, Admin. for Children and Families, Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) Report #9. Web: www.acf.dhhs.gov/programs/cb .