9,012 New Jersey children were in foster care at the end of 2007

1,622 foster children (18%) were between ages of 0 and 1; Nationally: 13%
2,097 foster children (23.3%) were between ages of 2 and 5; Nationally: 21.2%
2,486 foster children (27.6%) were between ages of 6 and 12; Nationally: 27.3%
2,805 foster children (31.1%) were between ages of 13 and 21; Nationally: 38.5%
New Jersey children spent an average of 29 months in foster care; Nationally: 27.5 months
1,084 children (12%) were in foster care for more than five years; Nationally: 12%
3,227 children (36%) were living with relatives in foster care; Nationally: 25%

New Jersey's foster care caseload by race/ethnicity in 2007

4,551 children in foster care (50.5%) were non-Hispanic black; Nationally: 31.6%
2,314 children in foster care (25.7%) were non-Hispanic white; Nationally: 40.5%
13 children in foster care (0.1%) were American Indian/Alaskan Natives; Nationally: 1.9%
22 children in foster care (0.2%) were Asian; Nationally: 0.6%
2 children in foster care (0.0%) were Hawaiian; Nationally: .2%
154 children in foster care (1.7%) were multiple races or ethnicities; Nationally: 4.3%
653 children in foster care (7.2%) were Hispanic (any race); Nationally: 18.5%
1,302 children in foster care (14.4%) were denoted Other; Nationally: 2.4%

Number of different placements in which a foster child lived in New Jersey

3,506 children in foster care (38.9%) experienced just 1 placement; Nationally: 34%
2,207 children in foster care (24.5%) experienced 2 placements; Nationally: 24%
1,180 children in foster care (13.1%) experienced 3 placements; Nationally: 14%
2,054 children in foster care (22.8%) experienced 4 or more placements; Nationally: 27%

4,194 New Jersey children were waiting for adoption in 2007

651 foster children (16%) were waiting to be adopted between ages of 0 and 1; Nationally: 13%
1,253 foster children (30%) were between ages of 2 and 5; Nationally: 29%
1,299 foster children (31%) were between ages of 6 and 12; Nationally: 35%
991 foster children (24%) were between ages of 13 and 17; Nationally: 23%

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

7,082 children in New Jersey exited foster care in 2007
3,808 children (54%) were returned to their parents; Nationally: 52%
1,392 children (20%) were adopted; Nationally: 18%
452 children (6%) left to live with relatives or via guardianships; Nationally: 15%
830 children (12%) "aged out" of foster care at 18 or older; Nationally: 10%
1,302 children (8%) left for other reasons (ran away, transferred, died); Nationally 5%

New Jersey IV-E foster care payments and expenditures

2,504 children in New Jersey child welfare system are eligible for Title IV-E federal foster care reimbursement with an average monthly payment of $931 per child.
Title IV-E Foster Care expenditures 2006: $61,487,264
Title IV-E Adoption expenditures 2006: $29,725,979
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