Foster Care Population Declined 2.5% Between 2018 & 2019

Between 2018 and 2019, the U.S. foster care population declined approximately 2.5% (from about 424,000 to about 414,000 children). During 2019, an estimated 251,000 children entered foster care, and 249,000 children exited foster care. Among the U.S. states, the foster care entry rate ranged from 1.4 children per 1,000 in a state’s population to 14.0 children per 1,000 in a state’s population; however, state-specific information was not included in the report.

Of the children who entered foster care in 2019, 30.1% were removed from their . . .