74,061 California children were in foster care at the end of 2007

9,028 foster children (12.2%) were between ages of 0 and 1; Nationally: 13%
14,084 foster children (19%) were between ages of 2 and 5; Nationally: 21.2%
20,996 foster children (28.3%) were between ages of 6 and 12; Nationally: 27.3%
29,947 foster children (40.4%) were between ages of 13 and 21; Nationally: 38.5%
California children spent an average of 38 months in foster care; Nationally: 27.5 months
13,339 children (18%) were in foster care for more than five years; Nationally: 12%
21,884 children (30%) were living with relatives in foster care; Nationally: 25%

California's foster care caseload by race/ethnicity in 2007

17,659 children in foster care (23.8%) were non-Hispanic black; Nationally: 31.6%
16,053 children in foster care (21.7%) were non-Hispanic white; Nationally: 40.5%
564 children in foster care (0.8%) were American Indian/Alaskan Natives; Nationally: 1.9%
1,190 children in foster care (1.6%) were Asian; Nationally: 0.6%
198 children in foster care (0.3%) were Hawaiian; Nationally: .2%
3,230 children in foster care (4.4%) were multiple races or ethnicities; Nationally: 4.3%
34,958 children in foster care (47.2%) were Hispanic (any race); Nationally: 18.5%
206 children in foster care (0.3%) were denoted Other; Nationally: 2.4%

Number of different placements in which a foster child lived in California

23,289 children in foster care (31.4%) experienced just 1 placement; Nationally: 34%
17,839 children in foster care (24.1%) experienced 2 placements; Nationally: 24%
11,796 children in foster care (15.9%) experienced 3 placements; Nationally: 14%
21,088 children in foster care (28.5%) experienced 4 or more placements; Nationally: 27%

20,832 California children were waiting for adoption in 2007

4,566 foster children (22%) were waiting to be adopted between ages of 0 and 1; Nationally: 13%
7,077 foster children (34%) were between ages of 2 and 5; Nationally: 29%
6,545 foster children (31%) were between ages of 6 and 12; Nationally: 35%
2,644 foster children (13%) were between ages of 13 and 17; Nationally: 23%

Where did California's children go after leaving foster care in 2007?

42,461 children in California exited foster care in 2007
24,349 children (57%) were returned to their parents; Nationally: 52%
7,590 children (18%) were adopted; Nationally: 18%
2,127 children (5%) left to live with relatives or via guardianships; Nationally: 15%
5,188 children (12%) "aged out" of foster care at 18 or older; Nationally: 10%
206 children (8%) left for other reasons (ran away, transferred, died); Nationally 5%

California IV-E foster care payments and expenditures

42,451 children in California child welfare system are eligible for Title IV-E federal foster care reimbursement with an average monthly payment of $1,014 per child.
Title IV-E Foster Care expenditures 2006: $975,880,000
Title IV-E Adoption expenditures 2006: $305,760,000
For more information about your state's child welfare financing, please visit the State Child Welfare Policy Database at www.childwelfarepolicy.org.
*Except for the expenditure data, this information is from federal AFCARS data, 2007