8,240 Iowa children were in foster care at the end of 2007

946 foster children (11.5%) were between ages of 0 and 1; Nationally: 13%
1,656 foster children (20.1%) were between ages of 2 and 5; Nationally: 21.2%
1,979 foster children (24%) were between ages of 6 and 12; Nationally: 27.3%
3,659 foster children (44.4%) were between ages of 13 and 21; Nationally: 38.5%
Iowa children spent an average of 20 months in foster care; Nationally: 27.5 months
402 children (5%) were in foster care for more than five years; Nationally: 12%
1,700 children (21%) were living with relatives in foster care; Nationally: 25%

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

1,197 children in foster care (14.5%) were non-Hispanic black; Nationally: 31.6%
5,583 children in foster care (67.8%) were non-Hispanic white; Nationally: 40.5%
157 children in foster care (1.9%) were American Indian/Alaskan Natives; Nationally: 1.9%
51 children in foster care (0.6%) were Asian; Nationally: 0.6%
23 children in foster care (0.3%) were Hawaiian; Nationally: .2%
144 children in foster care (1.7%) were multiple races or ethnicities; Nationally: 4.3%
533 children in foster care (6.5%) were Hispanic (any race); Nationally: 18.5%
552 children in foster care (6.7%) were denoted Other; Nationally: 2.4%

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

3,178 children in foster care (38.6%) experienced just 1 placement; Nationally: 34%
2,043 children in foster care (24.8%) experienced 2 placements; Nationally: 24%
1,073 children in foster care (13.0%) experienced 3 placements; Nationally: 14%
1,946 children in foster care (23.6%) experienced 4 or more placements; Nationally: 27%

1,298 Iowa children were waiting for adoption in 2007

178 foster children (14%) were waiting to be adopted between ages of 0 and 1; Nationally: 13%
425 foster children (33%) were between ages of 2 and 5; Nationally: 29%
420 foster children (32%) were between ages of 6 and 12; Nationally: 35%
275 foster children (21%) were between ages of 13 and 17; Nationally: 23%

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

5,379 children in Iowa exited foster care in 2007
3,598 children (67%) were returned to their parents; Nationally: 52%
1,001 children (19%) were adopted; Nationally: 18%
314 children (6%) left to live with relatives or via guardianships; Nationally: 15%
463 children (9%) "aged out" of foster care at 18 or older; Nationally: 10%
552 children (0%) left for other reasons (ran away, transferred, died); Nationally 5%

Iowa IV-E foster care payments and expenditures

2,281 children in Iowa child welfare system are eligible for Title IV-E federal foster care reimbursement with an average monthly payment of $732 per child.
Title IV-E Foster Care expenditures 2006: $26,876,101
Title IV-E Adoption expenditures 2006: $30,401,727
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