Children in Foster Care, 2012

Updated August 5, 2020 | Infoplease Staff

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 397,122
Ages
Under 1 year 6% 24,977
1 year 8 30,248
2 years 7 27,406
3 years 6 25,343
4 years 6 23,569
5 years 5 21,109
6 years 5 19,322
7 years 4 17,561
8 years 4 16,018
9 years 4 15,002
10 years 4 14,239
11 years 4 14,169
12 years 4 14,770
13 years 4 16,268
14 years 5 19,450
15 years 6 23,475
16 years 7 29,288
17 years 7 29,288
18 years 3 11,280
19 years 1 3,588
20 years 1 2,448
Gender
Male 52 207,947
Female 48 189,113
Race/ethnicity
White 42% 164,990
Black or African American 26 101,915
Hispanic1 21 84,168
American Indian/Alaskan Native 2 8,266
Asian 1 2,287
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander,
non-Hispanic		 0 779
Unknown/unable to determine 3 11,155
Two or more races non-Hispanic 6 22,883
Lengths of stay
Less than 1 month 5 20,308
1–5 months 22 87,302
6–11 months 20 78,599
12–17 months 14 57,347
18–23 months 9 37,247
24–29 months 7 27,466
30–35 months 5 17,897
3–4 years 9 36,560
5 years or more 9 34,389
NOTE: 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, 2013.

Births
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