Facts & Sources

As of September 30, 2024, there were 328,947 children in the U.S. foster care system — the sixth consecutive year of decline.

Note: This is the point-in-time count on September 30, 2024. Approximately 430,000+ children experience foster care during a full federal fiscal year.

Over 70,418 children in foster care have an adoption permanency plan, waiting for a permanent family.

Approximately 70% of families who express interest in fostering never complete the licensing process — due to paperwork, timelines, home inspection requirements, and fragmented support.

Note: This figure is widely cited in foster care advocacy. The primary academic source is difficult to pin down; it is supported by multiple advocacy organizations and practitioner reports.

Up to 50% of licensed foster parents stop fostering within their first year, citing administrative burden, lack of support, and system-level frustrations.

Note: Research shows the range is 30–50%. The 50% figure is at the high end but is supported by multiple sources including the NCSL and national foster home capacity research.

Just $70 per month in additional support to foster families cuts the dropout rate nearly in half, according to randomized controlled trials.

In fiscal year 2024, 15,579 youth exited foster care through emancipation (aging out) — representing 9% of all exits.

Within a few years of aging out of foster care, 22–30% of former foster youth experience homelessness. Texas-specific data suggests rates may be even higher — up to 40% by age 24.

Up to 43% of youth who age out of foster care are incarcerated by age 21 — compared to far lower rates in the general population.

Only 3–4% of former foster youth earn a college degree, compared to roughly 28% of the general population.

Roughly 28% of the general U.S. population earns a college degree — a stark contrast to the 3–4% rate among former foster youth.

The median child welfare caseworker has about 1.8 years between their first and last assigned case — while the average child stays in care for nearly 2 years.

Many child welfare caseworkers carry 3–4 times the caseload recommended by the Child Welfare League of America (CWLA), which sets the standard at no more than 15 cases per worker.

Note: CWLA recommends 15 cases per worker. Actual caseloads nationally range from 24 to over 60. The 3–4x figure reflects high-burden agencies rather than a strict national average.

Each caseworker departure costs agencies 30–200% of that employee's annual salary in turnover costs — including recruitment, training, and lost institutional knowledge.

Each youth who ages out of foster care without a permanent family costs taxpayers approximately $300,000 over their lifetime in public services — including incarceration, homelessness services, and lost productivity.

Note: Based on Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative (2013) cost-benefit analysis. A 2023 Colorado study found even higher costs at $343,453 per youth.

Each annual cohort of youth aging out of foster care costs society an estimated $4.1 billion in lost productivity and public services.

In federal fiscal year 2023, total Title IV-E spending was $9.5 billion — including $5.1 billion for foster care, $4.3 billion for adoption and guardianship, and $172 million for prevention services.

Note: This figure represents federal Title IV-E spending only. Total child welfare spending (federal + state + local) is significantly higher.

States have spent $68.6 billion in Title IV-E funds over the past seven years on foster care, adoption assistance, and related services.

More than 28,000 children are in the Texas foster care system, making it one of the largest state foster care populations in the country.

Note: Earlier estimates cited ~17,000 children in DFPS conservatorship (a narrower definition). The 28,000+ figure reflects the broader foster care system count as of 2024.

Texas's IMPACT child welfare IT system was built in 1996, based on 1993 guidelines. It lacks basic functionality like document uploads and is not federally compliant with modern CCWIS standards.

Texas has spent approximately $80 million on IMPACT modernization efforts since 2015, with an estimated $80 million needed for the 2024–2025 biennium alone.

93% of alumni from long-term mentorship programs like Friends of the Children avoid the justice system — a dramatic contrast to the general aging-out population.

83% of alumni from long-term mentorship programs graduate high school.

98% of alumni from long-term mentorship programs avoid early parenting.