The Nation’s Children 2010

America’s Children: A Snapshot

Child population under age 18, 20081 73,941,848
White children (not Hispanic) under age 18, 20082 56.2%
Non-white children under age 18, 20083 43.8%
Children and youth under age 14, 20084 77.1%
Children and youth ages 14–17, 20085 22.9%

America’s Most Vulnerable Children: A Snapshot

Estimate of referrals of possible child abuse and neglect, 20076 3,200,000
Children substantiated/indicated as abused or neglected, 20077 794,000
Estimated children who died as a result of abuse or neglect, 20078 1,586
Children living in out-of-home care, 20079 492,618
Children adopted from the public foster care system, 200710 51,401
Children waiting to be adopted, 200711 133,818
Children living in poverty, 200812 13,507,000
Estimated children living in low-income families, 200813 28,800,000
National Poverty Rate, 200814 13.2%
National Poverty Rate for children under age 18, 200815 19.0%
National Poverty Rate for children ages 5-17, 200816 17.7%
National Poverty Rate for children under age 5, 200817 22.2%

Child Abuse and Neglect
• In 2007, approximately 3.2 million allegations of child abuse and neglect, representing 5.8 million children, were made to child protective services agencies. Of those, 2,085,443 reports were referred for investigation, as reported by 37 states.18
• During FFY 2007, an estimated 794,000 children in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico were determined to be victims of abuse or neglect. Of these children, 59.0% were neglected, 10.8% were physically abused, and 7.6% were sexually abused. The victimization rate was 10.6 per 1,000 children, representing a 12.4% decrease from 2006, which can be explained by definitional changes.19
• Of the children substantiated as abused and neglected, only 62% received follow up services. Of the children reported as abused and neglected but not substantiated, 31.2% received follow up services. One-fifth (20.7%) of children substantiated as abused or neglected were placed in foster care as a result of an investigation.20
• In 2007, 492,818 children lived apart from their families in out-of-home care. Of the children living apart from their families, 34% were age 5 or younger, 45% were ages 6 through 15, and 21.2% were 16 or older.21
• Of the children living in out-of-home care in 2007, 40% were white, 31% were black, 20% were Hispanic, 2% were American Indian/Alaskan Native, and 7% were children of other races and ethnicities.

To view the entire report visit: http://www.cwla.org/advocacy/statefactsheets/2010/nationalfactsheet10.pdf