States: I

How Letter I States Compare in the Foster Care System

The 4 states catalogued under the letter I together account for 28,138 children currently in foster care, an average of roughly 7,035 children per state in this group. This is a sizable cluster within the AFCARS reporting set, and pages here share an above-average blended reunification rate of 50.2%. Illinois carries the largest share within this letter group, with 13,246 children in care — a volume that can reflect state population, child-welfare reporting rigor, or the concentration of high-need communities rather than any single policy outcome.

Foster-care metrics at a letter-group level are most useful as a navigation aid, not a ranking: children's experiences are shaped by state statutes, court capacity, kinship placement availability, and the prevalence of reunification services. Two neighboring states can report similar in-care populations but very different aging-out, reunification, or kinship-care outcomes. When comparing across this cluster, we recommend pairing the in-care count with reunification rate and aging-out rate together — any single metric in isolation can mislead. Click through to a state page to see the five-year trajectory, demographic breakdown, and the AFCARS data vintage that anchors the figures.

Source: AFCARS (Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System) via U.S. Children's Bureau · Scope: States beginning with the letter I · Interpretation: blended averages only; see individual state pages for trend data and definitions.