20,858 Pennsylvania children were in foster care at the end of 2007

2,355 foster children (11.3%) were between ages of 0 and 1; Nationally: 13%
3,861 foster children (18.5%) were between ages of 2 and 5; Nationally: 21.2%
4,942 foster children (23.7%) were between ages of 6 and 12; Nationally: 27.3%
9,700 foster children (46.5%) were between ages of 13 and 21; Nationally: 38.5%
Pennsylvania children spent an average of 26 months in foster care; Nationally: 27.5 months
1,682 children (8%) were in foster care for more than five years; Nationally: 12%
4,723 children (23%) were living with relatives in foster care; Nationally: 25%

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

9,603 children in foster care (46.0%) were non-Hispanic black; Nationally: 31.6%
8,272 children in foster care (39.7%) were non-Hispanic white; Nationally: 40.5%
43 children in foster care (0.2%) were American Indian/Alaskan Natives; Nationally: 1.9%
89 children in foster care (0.4%) were Asian; Nationally: 0.6%
0 children in foster care (0.0%) were Hawaiian; Nationally: .2%
112 children in foster care (0.5%) were multiple races or ethnicities; Nationally: 4.3%
1,809 children in foster care (8.7%) were Hispanic (any race); Nationally: 18.5%
930 children in foster care (4.5%) were denoted Other; Nationally: 2.4%

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

8,336 children in foster care (40.0%) experienced just 1 placement; Nationally: 34%
5,560 children in foster care (26.7%) experienced 2 placements; Nationally: 24%
2,681 children in foster care (12.9%) experienced 3 placements; Nationally: 14%
4,281 children in foster care (20.5%) experienced 4 or more placements; Nationally: 27%

3,379 Pennsylvania children were waiting for adoption in 2007

339 foster children (10%) were waiting to be adopted between ages of 0 and 1; Nationally: 13%
1,099 foster children (33%) were between ages of 2 and 5; Nationally: 29%
1,239 foster children (37%) were between ages of 6 and 12; Nationally: 35%
702 foster children (21%) were between ages of 13 and 17; Nationally: 23%

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

13,170 children in Pennsylvania exited foster care in 2007
7,350 children (56%) were returned to their parents; Nationally: 52%
1,926 children (15%) were adopted; Nationally: 18%
1,699 children (13%) left to live with relatives or via guardianships; Nationally: 15%
1,064 children (8%) "aged out" of foster care at 18 or older; Nationally: 10%
930 children (9%) left for other reasons (ran away, transferred, died); Nationally 5%

Pennsylvania IV-E foster care payments and expenditures

12,777 children in Pennsylvania child welfare system are eligible for Title IV-E federal foster care reimbursement with an average monthly payment of $1,788 per child.
Title IV-E Foster Care expenditures 2006: $255,459,864
Title IV-E Adoption expenditures 2006: $53,872,754
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