Stats & Sources

County of Los Angeles

  • 22,000 children are currently in foster care in Los Angeles County.

  • 1,600 children in foster care are awaiting adoptive families.*

  • Nearly 50% all children in foster care in California reside in Los Angeles County.

  • 29% of California children living in poverty are in Los Angeles County.**

  • More than 38% of the population of Los Angeles County live in economic hardship.

  • 16% (1.6 million people) in L.A. live below the federal poverty limit.**

  • Victims of child abuse are 42% more likely to be abused and neglected again.

  • Those between infancy and age 3 are most likely to experience a recurrence.*

  • Nearly half of foster youth have learning disabilities or delays.

  • Only 58% of young people in foster care graduate from high school.

  • Fewer than 8% achieve a bachelor’s degree by age 26, compared with 46% of the general population.***

  • Half of youth who have aged out of foster care end up homeless or incarcerated.

  • Nearly 2,000 young adults 18-21 are enrolled in extended foster care in L.A..

  • Teen girls in foster care are 2.5 times more likely to become pregnant by age 19.

  • Half of young men aging out of foster care have become fathers, compared to 19% of their peers who were not in foster care.

  • 75% of young women in foster care report at least one pregnancy by age 21,
    compared to only one third of those in the general population.

  • Eighty-seven percent of youth in the juvenile justice system have learning disabilities.

  • By grade 11, only 20% of students in foster care are proficient in English.

  • Only 5% are proficient in math.

  • 75% of students in foster care are performing below grade level.

  • By third grade 80% have had to repeat a grade.

*from CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates)

**from Catholic Charities

*** John Burton Advocates for Youth, ‘Foster Youth Outpace Peers in College Aid Applications for First Time’ (2019)