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Foster Care Emancipations Drop to a 10-Year Low After a Decade of Growth

Foster Care Emancipations Drop to a 10-Year Low After a Decade of Growth

Post-secondary Education Enrollment Remains Stable Among Youth With Foster Care Experience

Post-secondary Education Enrollment Remains Stable Among Youth With Foster Care Experience

344,000 U.S. Children of All Ages Lived in Foster Care in 2024

344,000 U.S. Children of All Ages Lived in Foster Care in 2024

The Number of Older Youth in Congregate Foster Care Decreased in 2024

The Number of Older Youth in Congregate Foster Care Decreased in 2024

Child welfare agencies’ use of state and local funds, SFYs 2012-2022

State and Local Funding for Child Welfare Has Largely Held Steady

Child welfare agencies’ use of smaller federal funding sources, SFYs 2012-2022*

Child Welfare Agencies Increasingly Use Smaller Federal Funding Sources, Including Various Grants

Child welfare agencies’ use of SSBG funds, SFYs 2012-2022

Child Welfare Agencies Are Relying Less on Social Services Block Grant Funds

Child welfare agencies’ use of TANF funds, SFYs 2012-2022

Child Welfare Agencies Are Using Fewer TANF Funds

Child welfare agencies’ use of Medicaid funds, SFYs 2012-2022

Child Welfare Agencies’ Use of Medicaid Has Increased Since 2012

Figure 1: Where child welfare agencies spent funds in SFY 2022

The Largest Share of Child Welfare Spending Is on Out-of-Home Placements

The youth (ages 15-24) overdose death rate has trended below pre-pandemic levels

Youth Overdose Death Rate Trending Below Pre-Pandemic Levels

Across all states, 2 to 56 percent of children in foster care were placed with relatives in fiscal year 2024

New Data Reveal Wide Variation in States’ Use of Formal Kinship Care

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Child Welfare Agencies’ Use of Title IV-E Funding Has Increased Since 2012

Child welfare agencies’ use of Title IV-B funds, SFYs 2012-2022*

Child Welfare Agencies’ Use of Title IV-B Funding Has Decreased

Figure: Foster youth employment at age 21 continues to grow, despite a dip during the pandemic

Foster Youth Employment at Age 21 Recovers From Pandemic-era Dip

Figure: Two thirds of foster youth remained stably housed through age 21, fiscal year 2024

Two Thirds of Foster Youth Remain Stably Housed Through Age 21

Figure: Child welfare agencies’ spending, SFYs 2012-2022

Total Child Welfare Agency Spending, Across All Sources, Has Increased Over the Decade

Figure: Child welfare agencies’ use of federal funds, SFYs 2012-2022

Child Welfare Agencies Draw on a Range of Federal Funding Sources, Such as Title IV-E

Figure: The number of children with substantiated/indicated referrals for maltreatment in the United States decreased from 2020-2023*

Reports of Substantiated or Indicated Child Maltreatment in the United States Declined From 2020-2023

Figure: The number of Vermont families receiving a child care subsidy increased by nearly half from July 2023 to April 2025

Vermont’s Child Care Subsidy Expansion Means More Families Have Affordable Child Care

Figure: The percentage of youth ages 14-21 who exit foster care to permanency has remained low for nearly a decade

Rates of Permanency Remain Low Among Older Youth in Foster Care

Figure: Just under 40 percent of fourth graders and 30 percent of eighth graders score at or above a proficient level (including advanced) in math

Low Math Scores Highlight Need for New Teaching Strategies

Mental Health Conditions Are the Dominant Underlying Cause of Maternal Death for American Indians and Alaska Natives

Mental Health Conditions Are the Dominant Underlying Cause of Maternal Death for American Indians and Alaska Natives

By:
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May 20, 2026

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