2,423 New Mexico children were in foster care at the end of 2007

353 foster children (14.6%) were between ages of 0 and 1; Nationally: 13%
667 foster children (27.5%) were between ages of 2 and 5; Nationally: 21.2%
815 foster children (33.6%) were between ages of 6 and 12; Nationally: 27.3%
588 foster children (24.3%) were between ages of 13 and 21; Nationally: 38.5%
New Mexico children spent an average of 19 months in foster care; Nationally: 27.5 months
60 children (2%) were in foster care for more than five years; Nationally: 12%
470 children (19%) were living with relatives in foster care; Nationally: 25%

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

89 children in foster care (3.7%) were non-Hispanic black; Nationally: 31.6%
634 children in foster care (26.2%) were non-Hispanic white; Nationally: 40.5%
194 children in foster care (8.0%) were American Indian/Alaskan Natives; Nationally: 1.9%
2 children in foster care (0.1%) were Asian; Nationally: 0.6%
0 children in foster care (0.0%) were Hawaiian; Nationally: .2%
86 children in foster care (3.5%) were multiple races or ethnicities; Nationally: 4.3%
1,398 children in foster care (57.7%) were Hispanic (any race); Nationally: 18.5%
20 children in foster care (0.8%) were denoted Other; Nationally: 2.4%

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

666 children in foster care (27.5%) experienced just 1 placement; Nationally: 34%
652 children in foster care (26.9%) experienced 2 placements; Nationally: 24%
363 children in foster care (15.0%) experienced 3 placements; Nationally: 14%
742 children in foster care (30.6%) experienced 4 or more placements; Nationally: 27%

963 New Mexico children were waiting for adoption in 2007

83 foster children (9%) were waiting to be adopted between ages of 0 and 1; Nationally: 13%
295 foster children (31%) were between ages of 2 and 5; Nationally: 29%
376 foster children (39%) were between ages of 6 and 12; Nationally: 35%
209 foster children (22%) were between ages of 13 and 17; Nationally: 23%

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

2,153 children in New Mexico exited foster care in 2007
1,523 children (71%) were returned to their parents; Nationally: 52%
365 children (17%) were adopted; Nationally: 18%
67 children (3%) left to live with relatives or via guardianships; Nationally: 15%
127 children (6%) "aged out" of foster care at 18 or older; Nationally: 10%
20 children (3%) left for other reasons (ran away, transferred, died); Nationally 5%

New Mexico IV-E foster care payments and expenditures

1,404 children in New Mexico child welfare system are eligible for Title IV-E federal foster care reimbursement with an average monthly payment of $526 per child.
Title IV-E Foster Care expenditures 2006: $18,794,586
Title IV-E Adoption expenditures 2006: $11,606,519
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