Adoption and Foster Care in the US
More than 530,000 children and young people are currently in foster care.
- The average age of foster children is 10.2 years.
- Most of them live in foster homes.
- The average time in care is 32 months.
- About a quarter of foster children are eligible for adoption. In 2002, 53,000 of those children were adopted.
- Each year, about 20,000 young people "age out" of the foster care system.
| Total number of children in foster care |
532,000 |
Where they live...
| Foster family homes (non-relative) |
243,505 |
|
(46%) |
| Foster family homes (relative) |
124,036 |
|
(23%) |
| Institutions |
54,472 |
|
(10%) |
| Group homes |
45,464 |
|
(9%) |
| Pre-adoptive homes |
24,960 |
|
(5%) |
| Trial home visit |
18,809 |
|
(4%) |
| Runaway and homeless shelters |
9,459 |
|
(2%) |
| Supervised independent living |
5,676 |
|
(1%) |
 |
| Number of children in foster care awaiting adoption |
118,000 |
Source: US Dept of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Preliminary Estimates for FY 2002 as of August 2004 and the CWLA NDAS, 2000 (latest figures available).
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