Foster care worker demographics and statistics in the US
Foster care worker demographics research summary. Zippia estimates foster care worker demographics and statistics in the United States by using a database of 30 million profiles. Our foster care worker estimates are verified against BLS, Census, and current job openings data for accuracy. Zippia's data science team found the following key facts about foster care workers after extensive research and analysis:
- There are over 9,713 foster care workers currently employed in the United States.
- 79.9% of all foster care workers are women, while 20.1% are men.
- The average foster care worker age is 42 years old.
- The most common ethnicity of foster care workers is White (63.1%), followed by Hispanic or Latino (15.1%), Black or African American (13.4%) and Unknown (4.2%).
- Foster care workers are most in-demand in Southfield, MI.
- Baltimore, MD pays an annual average wage of $66,711, the highest in the US.
- In 2022, women foster care workers earned 101% of what men earned.
- Washington is the best state for foster care workers to live.
- Foster care workers are 63% more likely to work at private companies in comparison to government companies.
On this page
Foster care worker demographics by:
Foster care worker gender statistics
79.9% of foster care workers are women and 20.1% of foster care workers are men.
- Female, 79.9%
- Male, 20.1%
Foster care worker gender ratio
| Gender | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Female | 79.9% |
| Male | 20.1% |
Foster care worker gender pay gap
Women earn $1.01 for every $1 earned by men
Male income
$42,685
Female income
$43,063
Foster care worker gender ratio over time
This data breaks down the percentage of men and women in foster care worker positions over time. Currently, 79.9% of foster care workers are female.
Foster care worker gender ratio by year
| Year | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 25.36% | 74.64% |
| 2011 | 24.40% | 75.60% |
| 2012 | 24.34% | 75.66% |
| 2013 | 23.52% | 76.48% |
| 2014 | 24.64% | 75.36% |
| 2015 | 24.36% | 75.64% |
| 2016 | 24.69% | 75.31% |
| 2017 | 24.19% | 75.81% |
| 2018 | 23.36% | 76.64% |
| 2019 | 22.99% | 77.01% |
| 2020 | 20.73% | 79.27% |
| 2021 | 20.13% | 79.87% |
Foster care worker related jobs gender ratio
We compared foster care workers with similar job titles to see how gender ratios vary. As you can see, public health worker and rehabilitation engineer have the biggest gender ratio gaps.
| Job title | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| Breastfeeding Educator | 2% | 98% |
| Certified Lactation Counselor | 3% | 97% |
| Lactation Specialist | 5% | 95% |
| Foster Care Worker | 20% | 80% |
| Donation Worker | 70% | 30% |
| Rehabilitation Engineer | 70% | 30% |
| Public Health Worker | 81% | 19% |
Male
Female
100%
75%
50%
25%
0%
0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
Foster care worker demographics by race
The most common ethnicity among foster care workers is White, which makes up 63.1% of all foster care workers. Comparatively, 15.1% of foster care workers are Hispanic or Latino and 13.4% of foster care workers are Black or African American.
- White, 63.1%
- Hispanic or Latino, 15.1%
- Black or African American, 13.4%
- Unknown, 4.2%
- Asian, 2.7%
- American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%
Foster care worker race
| Foster care worker race | Percentages |
|---|---|
| White | 63.1% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 15.1% |
| Black or African American | 13.4% |
| Unknown | 4.2% |
| Asian | 2.7% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 1.5% |
Foster care worker race and ethnicity over time
See how foster care worker racial and ethnic diversity trended since 2010 according to the United States Census Bureau data.
Foster care worker race and ethnicity by year
| Year | White | Black or African American | Asian | Hispanic or Latino |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 66.83% | 17.57% | 2.59% | 10.00% |
| 2011 | 65.42% | 18.60% | 3.01% | 10.04% |
| 2012 | 65.75% | 17.96% | 2.81% | 10.36% |
| 2013 | 65.67% | 17.74% | 2.90% | 10.11% |
| 2014 | 65.32% | 17.27% | 3.07% | 11.30% |
| 2015 | 65.17% | 17.67% | 2.89% | 11.38% |
| 2016 | 64.92% | 17.21% | 3.27% | 11.88% |
| 2017 | 65.28% | 15.66% | 3.37% | 12.35% |
| 2018 | 64.71% | 18.85% | 2.11% | 11.31% |
| 2019 | 65.91% | 17.78% | 2.01% | 9.63% |
| 2020 | 61.48% | 15.43% | 2.92% | 14.22% |
| 2021 | 63.14% | 13.37% | 2.67% | 15.12% |
Foster care worker wage gap by race
According to our data, hispanic or latino foster care workers have the highest average salary compared to other ethnicities. Black or african american foster care workers have the lowest average salary at $40,021.
| Ethnicity | Salary |
|---|---|
| Unknown | $42,913 |
| White | $40,873 |
| Black or African American | $40,021 |
| Asian | $44,881 |
| Hispanic or Latino | $44,978 |
Average foster care worker age
See how the average age of foster care workers varies based on ethnicity and gender.
Male
Female
Foster care worker age by race and gender
| Race | Male age | Female age |
|---|---|---|
| Unknown | 40 | |
| White | 39.5 | 41 |
| Black or African American | 48 | |
| Asian | 41 | |
| Hispanic or Latino | 43 |
Foster care worker age breakdown
The average age of foster care workers is 40+ years years old, representing 57% of the foster care worker population.
Foster care worker age breakdown
| Foster Care Worker Years | Percentages |
|---|---|
| 40+ years | 57% |
| 30-40 years | 26% |
| 20-30 years | 17% |
Foster care worker educational attainment
The most common degree for foster care workers is bachelor's degree, with 64% of foster care workers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 25% and master's degree degree at 7%.
- Bachelor's, 64%
- Master's, 25%
- Associate, 7%
- High School Diploma, 2%
- Other Degrees, 2%
Foster care workers by degree level
| Foster care worker degree | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's | 64% |
| Master's | 25% |
| Associate | 7% |
| High School Diploma | 2% |
| Other Degrees | 2% |
Foster care worker jobs you might like
Foster care worker wage gap by degree level
| Education | Salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $55,801 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $44,407 |
Foster care worker employment statistics
Most foster care workers work for a private in the non profits industry.
Company size where foster care workers work
Below, you can see the size of companies where foster care workers work.
Foster care worker jobs by employer size
| Company size | Percentages |
|---|---|
| < 50 employees | 8% |
| 50 - 100 employees | 26% |
| 100 - 500 employees | 37% |
| 500 - 1,000 employees | 13% |
| 1,000 - 10,000 employees | 14% |
| > 10,000 employees | 2% |
Foster care worker jobs by company type
Employees with the foster care worker job title have their preferences when it comes to working for a company. For instance, most foster care workers prefer to work at private companies over government companies.
Foster care worker jobs by sector
| Company type | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Education | 3% |
| Public | 2% |
| Private | 63% |
| Government | 32% |
Foster care worker jobs by industry
The most common industries for foster care workers are non profits, professional and health care.
Foster care worker industry statistics
| Industry | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Non Profits | 24% |
| Professional | 23% |
| Health Care | 22% |
| Government | 16% |
| Finance | 3% |
| Hospitality | 3% |
| Education | 2% |
| Technology | 2% |
| Pharmaceutical | 1% |
| Media | 1% |
| Construction | 1% |
| Retail | 1% |
| Manufacturing | 1% |
Foster care worker turnover and employment statistics
Foster care worker unemployment rate over time
The unemployment rate for foster care workers between 2008 and the most recent data has varied, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Foster care worker unemployment rate by year
| Year | Foster care worker unemployment rate |
|---|---|
| 2010 | 3.89% |
| 2011 | 4.68% |
| 2012 | 4.85% |
| 2013 | 3.77% |
| 2014 | 2.89% |
| 2015 | 2.27% |
| 2016 | 2.28% |
| 2017 | 1.90% |
| 2018 | 2.12% |
| 2019 | 1.07% |
| 2020 | 1.73% |
| 2021 | 1.89% |
Average foster care worker tenure
The average foster care worker stays at their job for 1-2 years, based on the 4,551 foster care workers resumes in Zippia's database.
Foster care worker tenure statistics
| Number of years | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Less than 1 year | 21% |
| 1-2 years | 38% |
| 3-4 years | 15% |
| 5-7 years | 13% |
| 8-10 years | 5% |
| 11+ years | 7% |
Foster care worker LGBT ratio compared to similar jobs
Review the percent of foster care workers that are members of the LGBT community. You can see how this compares to similar jobs in the chart below.
| Job title | LGBT | Job openings |
|---|---|---|
| HIV Counselor | 8.96% | 34,058 |
| Correctional Case Manager | 9.50% | 26,279 |
| Foster Care Worker | 10.37% | - |
| Ecclesiastical Worker | 11.25% | 20,239 |
| Developmental Specialist | 11.48% | 7,776 |
| Certified Lactation Counselor | 15.06% | 61,633 |
| Case Consultant | 15.06% | 35,111 |
Similar foster care worker jobs LGBT demographics
| Profession | Percentages of LGBT | Job openings |
|---|---|---|
| HIV Counselor | 8.96% | 34,058 |
| Correctional Case Manager | 9.50% | 26,279 |
| Ecclesiastical Worker | 11.25% | 20,239 |
| Developmental Specialist | 11.48% | 7,776 |
| Certified Lactation Counselor | 15.06% | 61,633 |
| Case Consultant | 15.06% | 35,111 |
Foreign languages spoken by foster care workers
The most common foreign language among foster care workers is Spanish at 74.5%. The second-most popular foreign language spoken is French at 7.3% and German is the third-most popular at 4.4%.
- Spanish, 74.5%
- French, 7.3%
- German, 4.4%
- Italian, 1.5%
- Russian, 1.5%
- Other, 10.8%
Foster care worker languages spoken
| Foreign language | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Spanish | 74.5% |
| French | 7.3% |
| German | 4.4% |
| Italian | 1.5% |
| Russian | 1.5% |
| Other | 10.8% |
