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What This Directory of All States Shows

This directory covers all 51 U.S. states as reported through the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS). Across the 50 states visible on this page, 378,797 children are currently recorded as being in foster care. The range on this page runs from Vermont at 456 children to California at 52,847 — a spread that largely tracks state population and the scope of child-welfare reporting rather than a direct measure of system quality. The blended reunification rate across these states sits at 50.5%, with roughly 7.6% of youth aging out of care without a permanent placement — a long-tracked vulnerability indicator that cuts across urban and rural systems alike.

Use the alphabetical index and sort controls to slice this table by children in care, reunification rate, or aging-out rate. States with higher in-care counts are not necessarily underperforming — larger populations, stronger reporting, and more active investigation of maltreatment claims can all drive counts upward. The most meaningful comparisons pair an outcome metric (reunification, adoption, aging out) with a denominator that reflects population-adjusted risk. Each state page shows five-year trends, placement-type mix, demographic breakdowns, and the federal fiscal-year vintage behind the numbers, so you can evaluate change over time rather than a single snapshot.

Source: AFCARS via the U.S. Children's Bureau · Coverage: every state plus DC and Puerto Rico where reported · Interpretation: counts reflect reporting period; use alongside per-capita rates for cross-state comparison AFCARS via the U.S. Children's Bureau · Coverage: every state plus DC and Puerto Rico where reported · Interpretation: counts reflect reporting period; use alongside per-capita rates for cross-state comparison