9,849 Missouri children were in foster care at the end of 2007

1,150 foster children (11.7%) were between ages of 0 and 1; Nationally: 13%
1,966 foster children (20%) were between ages of 2 and 5; Nationally: 21.2%
2,640 foster children (26.8%) were between ages of 6 and 12; Nationally: 27.3%
4,087 foster children (41.5%) were between ages of 13 and 21; Nationally: 38.5%
Missouri children spent an average of 31 months in foster care; Nationally: 27.5 months
1,255 children (13%) were in foster care for more than five years; Nationally: 12%
2,145 children (22%) were living with relatives in foster care; Nationally: 25%

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

2,988 children in foster care (30.3%) were non-Hispanic black; Nationally: 31.6%
6,363 children in foster care (64.6%) were non-Hispanic white; Nationally: 40.5%
56 children in foster care (0.6%) were American Indian/Alaskan Natives; Nationally: 1.9%
20 children in foster care (0.2%) were Asian; Nationally: 0.6%
8 children in foster care (0.1%) were Hawaiian; Nationally: .2%
67 children in foster care (0.7%) were multiple races or ethnicities; Nationally: 4.3%
281 children in foster care (2.9%) were Hispanic (any race); Nationally: 18.5%
63 children in foster care (0.6%) were denoted Other; Nationally: 2.4%

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

2,705 children in foster care (27.5%) experienced just 1 placement; Nationally: 34%
2,352 children in foster care (23.9%) experienced 2 placements; Nationally: 24%
1,312 children in foster care (13.3%) experienced 3 placements; Nationally: 14%
3,477 children in foster care (35.3%) experienced 4 or more placements; Nationally: 27%

2,558 Missouri children were waiting for adoption in 2007

199 foster children (8%) were waiting to be adopted between ages of 0 and 1; Nationally: 13%
601 foster children (23%) were between ages of 2 and 5; Nationally: 29%
959 foster children (37%) were between ages of 6 and 12; Nationally: 35%
799 foster children (31%) were between ages of 13 and 17; Nationally: 23%

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

5,168 children in Missouri exited foster care in 2007
2,894 children (56%) were returned to their parents; Nationally: 52%
823 children (16%) were adopted; Nationally: 18%
612 children (12%) left to live with relatives or via guardianships; Nationally: 15%
292 children (6%) "aged out" of foster care at 18 or older; Nationally: 10%
63 children (11%) left for other reasons (ran away, transferred, died); Nationally 5%

Missouri IV-E foster care payments and expenditures

3,925 children in Missouri child welfare system are eligible for Title IV-E federal foster care reimbursement with an average monthly payment of $528 per child.
Title IV-E Foster Care expenditures 2006: $57,101,230
Title IV-E Adoption expenditures 2006: $31,905,963
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