States With the Best Foster Care Systems

Foster care plays a crucial role in providing safety and stability for the nearly 370,000 children in the U.S. who cannot live with their families. These children face many challenges, from finding permanent homes to accessing education and legal support, and the assistance they receive can vary widely depending on where they live.

To highlight the states with the best foster care systems and the ones that need to improve the most, SmileHub compared each of the 50 states based on 19 key metrics. The data set ranges from the share of children in foster care to the share of children adopted within 3 years to the maximum monthly stipend for foster parents.

You can find the results below. Additionally, if you want to support foster care in your community but don’t know where to donate, check out our picks for the Best Charities for Children in 2025.

• Main Findings
• Methodology

Main Findings

States With the Best Foster Care Systems

Overall Rank*	State	Total Score	Community Environment & Support Systems Rank	Foster Youth Baselines Rank	Legal Support Rank
1	Virginia	69.66	5	6	14
2	New Jersey	69.30	1	13	18
3	Iowa	69.04	10	8	6
4	Colorado	65.63	17	28	1
5	Connecticut	65.01	9	26	4
6	Delaware	64.05	32	5	11
7	California	63.86	19	18	2
8	Louisiana	63.31	30	3	23
9	Utah	62.67	39	1	23
10	Michigan	62.59	20	24	2
11	Minnesota	61.89	14	25	11
12	Arkansas	60.80	37	4	27
13	New York	60.71	15	38	4
14	Kentucky	60.02	13	35	11
15	Texas	59.84	26	2	40
16	Maryland	58.84	29	19	9
17	Oklahoma	57.99	27	12	28
18	Maine	57.57	6	43	14
19	Idaho	56.97	8	10	46
20	Rhode Island	55.89	12	42	18
21	Nebraska	55.28	4	40	33
22	North Carolina	54.78	34	23	18
23	Georgia	54.50	22	36	18
24	New Hampshire	53.82	11	27	44
25	Wyoming	53.68	18	29	30
26	Ohio	53.64	31	31	23
27	Mississippi	53.51	40	11	30
28	Hawaii	53.02	38	7	38
29	West Virginia	52.75	48	21	7
30	Tennessee	52.09	23	20	36
31	Pennsylvania	51.98	3	32	49
32	Nevada	51.40	50	16	7
33	Wisconsin	50.78	36	37	9
34	Massachusetts	50.65	7	44	35
35	Washington	50.04	45	33	18
36	Alabama	49.68	43	9	40
37	North Dakota	49.52	2	49	40
38	Illinois	49.38	21	48	14
39	South Carolina	49.37	44	15	37
40	Missouri	49.05	42	30	30
41	South Dakota	48.93	16	39	40
42	Oregon	48.93	41	41	14
43	Florida	48.54	33	14	48
44	Montana	46.61	35	45	23
45	Indiana	46.56	28	34	45
46	Arizona	46.53	49	17	29
47	Kansas	45.69	25	46	33
48	New Mexico	42.95	46	22	46
49	Vermont	42.47	24	47	38
50	Alaska	31.74	47	50	50

Notes: *1 = Best

With the exception of “Total Score,” all of the columns in the table above depict the relative rank of that state, where a rank of 1 represents the best conditions for that metric category.

Methodology

In order to identify the states with the best foster care systems, SmileHub compared the 50 states across three key dimensions: 1) Community Environment & Support Systems, 2) Foster Youth Baselines and 3) Legal Support.

We evaluated those dimensions using 19 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the highest level of foster care support. For metrics marked with an asterisk (*), the square root of the population was used to calculate the population size in order to avoid overcompensating for population differences across states.

We determined each state’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order the states.

Community Environment & Support Systems - Total Points: 35

• Children’s Charities per Capita*: Full Weight (~4.38 Points)
• Number of Childcare Workers per Total Number of Children: Double Weight (~8.75 Points)
  Note: Childcare workers attend to the basic needs of children, such as dressing, bathing, feeding, and overseeing play. They may help younger children prepare for kindergarten or assist older children with homework.
• Unaccompanied Homeless Children & Youth Rate: Full Weight (~4.38 Points)
• Child Well-Being Index: Full Weight (~4.38 Points)
  Note: The Annie E. Casey Foundation calculates a composite index of overall child well-being for each state by combining data across four domains: Economic Well-Being, Education, Health and Family and Community.
• Licensed Foster Homes per Child in Foster Care: Double Weight (~8.75 Points)
• Maximum Foster Care Monthly Stipend: Full Weight (~4.38 Points)

Foster Youth Baselines - Total Points: 40

• Share of Children in Foster Care: Double Weight (~8.89 Points)
• Share of Children Adopted Within 3 Years: Double Weight (~8.89 Points)
• Share of Children Who Re-entered the Foster Care System After Adoption: Full Weight (~4.44 Points)
• Share of Children Exiting Foster Care: Full Weight (~4.44 Points)
• Share of Children in Kinship Care: Full Weight (~4.44 Points)
• High School Graduation Rate for Foster Youth: Full Weight (~4.44 Points)
• Average Days per Year Spent Without Family: Full Weight (~4.44 Points)

Legal Support - Total Points: 25

• Workforce Training Laws: Full Weight (~4.17 Points)
• Right to Counsel for Children: Full Weight (~4.17 Points)
• Equality Laws & Regulations for Children in Foster Care: Full Weight (~4.17 Points)
• Provisional Licensing for Kinship Caregivers: Full Weight (~4.17 Points)
  Note: Provisional licensing can facilitate placement with a familiar and loving caregiver who is not yet a licensed foster parent.
• Licensing Standards Can Be Waived for Kinship Caregivers: Full Weight (~4.17 Points)
• Parental Rights Reinstatement Legislation: Full Weight (~4.17 Points)

 
Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Internal Revenue Service, Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Center for Education Statistics, Administration for Children & Families, The Annie E. Casey Foundation, The Imprint, World Population Review, Movement Advancement Project and Counsel for Kids.