How many children are in foster care?

The most recent report from 2021 shows that an estimated 606,031 children passed through the US foster care system over the course of one year. This number, from the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS), represents both the children who were already in the system at the beginning of the federal fiscal year (October 1, 2020) and the children who entered into the system over the next 12 months. On the last day of the fiscal year, September 30, 2021, approximately 391,098 kids were in foster care.

The program also reports the number of children waiting to be adopted after their parents’ parental rights were terminated as of the last day of the fiscal year. In 2021, that number was 64,985.

How old are children in foster care?

Most children are under 10 years old.

• infants represent 7%

• ages 1–4 represent 30%

• ages 5-9 represent 23%

• ages 10-14 represent 21%

• ages 15-20 represent 19%

Which states have the most children in foster care?

As of 2021, the two most populous states had the most children in foster care. California had 47,871 kids in foster care — the most of any state. Texas had the second-most population of kids in care at 28,042.