Who are the children entering foster care in the United States? Federal data from the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) gives a clearer picture than most people carry in their heads — and some of what it shows may surprise you.
Foster care is rare
There are approximately 74 million children in the United States. In FY2023, AFCARS data shows roughly 170,000–185,000 children entered foster care during the year — about one-quarter of one percent of all U.S. children. Put differently: more than 99% of children remain with their biological families. Foster care is not an alternative to the American family. It’s a safety net for the small minority of children whose family cannot safely care for them right now.
At what age do children enter foster care?
Children enter foster care across the full age range from birth through age 17. The median age of children entering care has been around 6–7 years in recent AFCARS reports, but the largest single-year cohort is typically infants under one year — reflecting safe-haven surrenders, prenatal substance exposure, and early welfare investigations.
Age matters for foster parenting. Younger children often cannot articulate what is distressing them, which can present as “acting up” — where a skilled and patient foster parent’s role is especially important. Teenagers can often say what they feel, but carry longer histories and may have been in multiple placements. See our post on therapeutic vs. traditional foster care for what different types of children need.
Why children are removed
AFCARS records the circumstances associated with each removal. A single case can have more than one associated circumstance, so the totals below exceed 100%:
- Neglect — ~63% (the most frequently cited reason)
- Parental drug abuse — ~35%
- Caretaker inability to cope — ~13%
- Physical abuse — ~12%
- Housing — ~10%
- Child behavior problems — ~8%
- Parental alcohol abuse — ~5%
The word “neglect” can be misleading. It often describes conditions tied to poverty — inadequate housing, lack of child care, untreated parental illness — rather than willful harm. Maughan and Moore (2010) found that the two parent-behavior factors most predictive of adult delinquency among former foster youth were inadequate supervision and a disorganized or chaotic home environment. Those are precisely what foster care training emphasizes foster parents need to provide.
Race and ethnicity of children entering care
In recent AFCARS reports, approximately 40–42% of children entering foster care were White, 22–25% Black or African American, 20–21% Hispanic (of any race), 8–9% multiracial, 2% American Indian or Alaska Native, and about 1% Asian. Compared to the U.S. child population, Black and Native children are significantly overrepresented; White, Hispanic, and Asian children are underrepresented. See our post on racial composition of foster kids for the full picture.
One practical implication: local foster care recruiters need foster parents who can support children’s cultural and linguistic ties — including, in many communities, Spanish-speaking foster parents.
More than 99% of U.S. children are in their biological families. Foster care is the safety net for the small minority who cannot safely stay home right now.
StartFosterCare.org
Related reading
- How Many Kids Are in Foster Care? Top Ten States
- Racial Composition of Foster Kids in the US
- Kinship Care or Foster Care: Which is Better?
Sources: AFCARS Report #30, Children’s Bureau, Administration for Children and Families, HHS; Maughan and Moore (2010) on predictors of adult delinquency. About StartFosterCare.org.