How Many Kids Are in Foster Care: Key Statistics and Insights for 2025

The foster care system is a critical part of the child welfare system, offering temporary care for children who cannot safely live with their primary caregivers due to abuse, neglect, or other serious family challenges.

According to the most recent Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) report, 343,077 children were in foster care in the United States on the last day of fiscal year 2023. This shows a decline in the numbers from previous years, but a significant number of youth still need support and stability today.

The foster care system aims to provide a safe and supportive environment for children in foster care until they can either be reunited with their birth families or placed in a permanent family setting, such as through adoption or guardianship. The Department of Health and Human Services plays a vital role in overseeing this system and ensuring that foster children receive the care and support they need.

Overall, foster care data shows a decline in how many of children remain in care compared to past decades. In 1998, roughly 559,000 were in care nationwide, demonstrating a 39% decrease in the number of children in foster care since 1998.

Demographics of Children in Care

Recent data sheds light on who these children are:

• In 2023, children in foster care were racially and ethnically diverse: 66% white, 22% Black, and 21% Hispanic, with smaller numbers identifying as multiple races or other identities.
• Children in care range from infants to youth aging into adulthood, with the largest single age group being children ages 1–4.
• On average, many estimates put the average age of children in foster care at under 8 years old, though this can vary by state.

These demographic patterns reflect broader foster care analysis, including the overrepresentation of certain groups and how age distribution impacts care needs and planning for permanency.

Reasons for Entering Care

Children enter foster care for a variety of complex reasons, and understanding these reasons helps inform prevention and intervention efforts:

• National data shows that neglect is the most common reason, followed by physical abuse and parental substance abuse.
• The reporting system for child abuse and neglect is a critical piece of how human services agencies identify and intervene on behalf of at-risk children.
• Agencies work to investigate child maltreatment reports and provide family services to try to prevent unnecessary separations when possible.

These patterns underscore the importance of efforts to reduce child maltreatment rates and to provide earlier services and supports for families before removal becomes necessary.

The Role of Birth Families

Birth families often remain deeply involved in the foster care journey:

• In 2023, about 45% of children exited foster care through reunification with their birth families or primary caregivers, according to AFCARS exit data, making reunification the most common exit outcome.
• The system’s goal remains to provide temporary care for children until they can be safely returned to their birth families or moved into permanent family care.

Many families receive supportive services—such as counseling, parenting classes, and economic support—to help overcome challenges and create safe, stable home environments.

Children Awaiting Adoption

For children who cannot safely return home, adoption or permanent guardianship provides a lifelong family connection:

• AFCARS data shows that 36,411 children were legally free for adoption but still waiting for a family in 2023, and the number of children adopted that year was 50,193.
• Children awaiting adoption are those who have been legally freed for adoption and are ready for a permanent family.

The Children’s Bureau provides resources and support to help connect these children with adoptive families, offering guidance on the adoption process and helping families navigate matching and legal steps.

Exiting the System

Children can leave foster care in several ways:

• Reunification with birth families
• Adoption into a permanent family
• Guardianship arrangements
• Aging out as youth transition into adulthood

In fiscal year 2023, roughly 44% of children who exited foster care did so through reunification, 27% through adoption, and 10% through guardianship placements.

Despite progress, some youth experience longer stays in care, with more than a third spending over two years in the system before exiting.

Child welfare professionals continue working to reduce time frames for children to exit care and achieve permanent family care as quickly and safely as possible.

The Casey Foundation’s Role

The Annie E. Casey Foundation is a major voice in child welfare, offering research, data, and support to improve outcomes for children and families in the foster care system.

Their KIDS COUNT data and analysis inform policy, practice, and public understanding of foster care trends, helping advocates and policymakers make data-driven decisions.

Organizations like Casey support efforts to strengthen families, promote permanency, and improve well-being for children in care—and they emphasize how critical data is to identifying areas needing focus.

Supporting Children and Youth in Foster Care

Support services are essential to helping foster children thrive:

• The foster care system provides a wide range of services, including counseling, educational support, health care, and mental health services.
• Research shows that children who receive appropriate services are more likely to achieve stable permanency and improved well-being.
• Foster families and adoptive families play a vital role in providing a loving and stable home for children and youth throughout this journey.

State-Level Initiatives

States across the country are implementing initiatives to strengthen child welfare systems and support both children and families:

• Many states are focusing on family preservation services to reduce the number of children entering care.
• Funding increases, improved caseworker training, and expanded mental health services are among strategies being prioritized.
• Some states are seeing declines in children entering care while improving outcomes for children and families—highlighting the importance of targeted social services and community-based support.

These efforts reinforce the need for local action alongside national trends to improve the foster care experience for children and families.

The Importance of Data

Accurate data is vital to understanding the foster care system’s impact:

• The AFCARS report is one of the most important data sources for understanding how many kids are in foster care, characteristics of children and families, and care outcomes.
• Data helps identify trends in entry and exit rates, demographics, adoption outcomes, and areas where more support is needed.

Organizations like the Casey Foundation and government agencies use this data to inform policy, improve practice, and advocate for children and families.

Conclusion

As of the most recent data, how many children are in foster care? On the last day of fiscal year 2023, there were 343,077 children in the U.S. foster care system, and thousands more passed through care each year.

Understanding how many kids are in foster care helps communities, advocates, and policymakers focus on improving outcomes, reducing trauma, and working toward stable families—whether through reunification, adoption, or guardianship.

By focusing on data, support services, and strong foster and adoptive families, we can continue improving the foster care system for children and youth across the country.