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There are currently 517,000 U.S. children in the foster care system. |
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118,000 of these children are currently waiting for a permanent adoptive family. |
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The average age of a waiting child is 9. |
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There are approximately 700 children in Minnesota who are waiting for a family. |
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Most of these children are in sibling groups of 2 or more and need to be placed together. |
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There are more than 23,000 children in the U.S. who have "aged-out" of the foster care system at age 18, with no permanent family to call their own. |
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It is estimated that about 1 million children live with adoptive parents in the U.S., and between 2-4% of all American families include an adopted child. |
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There are 5 to 6 million adopted persons in the U.S. today. (Adoption Nation, Adam Pertman) |
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There were 12,579 internationally born children adopted by Americans in 1997. (NCFA) |
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An additional 53,971 children were adopted by relatives or step-parents in 1996. |
