Foster Care Rates

FOSTER CARE REIMBURSEMENT RATES January 2001

State	Reimbursement Rate(s)
Alabama	0-2: $230, to 19-21: $266 per mo. HGP
Alaska	0-2: $21.45, 3-11: $19.07, 12-19: $22.64
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida	(Daily rates) 0 - 5: $11.50, 5 - 12: $13.00, 13 + : $14.00
Georgia	$12.00 Per Day
Hawaii
Idaho	0-5: $251-/Mo, 6-12: $275-/Mo, 13 +; $394/Mo
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa	0 - 5: 14.28, 6 - 11: 15.07, 12 - 15: 16.83, 16 - 20: 16.83
Kansas	$18 to $35/day Privatized
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland	0-11: $17.59/day, 12+: $18.08/day
Massachusetts
Michigan	0 - 12: $13.85/day, 13 - 18: $17.15/day
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri	0-6: $227.00, 6-13: $256.00, 13-18: $298.00, $150.00 Clothing Allowance
Montana	0-12: $12.04 subject to change, 13-18: $13.43-subject to change, $32.respite
Nebraska	0-5: $222/mo, 6-11: $292/mo, 12+: $352/mo
Nevada	0-12: $365/mo, 13+: $436/mo
New Hampshire
New Jersey	0-5: $406, 6-9: $437, 10-12: $457, 13+: $508
New Mexico	0 - 5: $408, 6 - 12: $441, 13 +: $467
New York	www.nysccc.org/boardrates/ratedirectory.htm
North Carolina
North Dakota	0 - 4: $351, 5 - 12: $397, 13 - 18: $517
Ohio	Minimum $9/day to Maximum $90/day
Oklahoma	0-6: $10/day, 7-12: $12/day, 13+: $14/day
Oregon	0-5: $369/mo, 6-12: $385/mo, 13+: $475/mo
Pennsylvania
Puerto Rico
Rhode Island	$14.39 0-3; $13.64 4-11; $15.79 12+ per day
South Carolina	0-5: $332.00, 6-12: $359.00, 13-21: $425.00
South Dakota
Tennessee	0-2: $12.11/day, 3-4: $9.13/day, 5-12: $10.24/day, 13+: $15.03/day
Texas	$16.96/day
Utah
Vermont	0 - 5: L1;$14.36, L2;$16.19, L3;$18.95. 6 - 12: L1;$15.92, L2;$17.89, L3;$20.98. 13 +: L1;$17.65, L2;$19.75, L3;$22.98
Virginia
Washington
Washington D. C.	0-12: $581/mo, 13+: $651/mo
West Virginia
Wisconsin	0-5: $292/mo, 6-12: $317/mo, 13+: $375/mo
Wyoming

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The Cost of Raising a Child Compared to Foster Care Maintenance Payments

Foster families who care for children in the custody of a state receive payment that is intended to cover ordinary living expenses for the child. This generally includes room and board, daily supervision, and a personal allowance. It may also include a variety of other expenses for which some states or counties provide supplemental funds, including clothing, child care, incidentals such as hair care, liability insurance, recreational activities, respite care, school supplies, and travel for visits with birth families and medical appointments. Therefore, it can be misleading to compare the stipends paid by any two states, since one may expect foster parents to cover many more expenses without a supplement.

In addition, the cost of caring for a child varies considerably in various parts of the country. The U.S. Department of Agriculture publishes a yearly report, Expenditures on Children by Families, that provides separate costs for four different urban regions and one for rural areas. The report also indicates amounts spent by families in three different income ranges on children in six age groupings. Shown in the chart below are estimated monthly expenditures for 2000 on a child by two-parent households in the five geographic areas. Each shows total spent by families whose before-tax income is in the range of $38,300 to $64,500 for children in three age groupings. For details, see the full report.

We have also shown the most current foster care maintenance rates available for states that fall in each of the urban regions. To get a rough idea of how your state's rate compare to the cost of raising a child, compare your state to others in your region. If you live in a community of under 2,500 people, use the rural areas rate in the first table.

For more about items included in each state's stipends, see the Child Welfare League of America's National Data Analysis System.

	age 0-2	age 9-11	age 15-17	as of date	Source
Rural Areas - USDA est. monthly expenditure places of fewer than 2,500 people outside a Metropolitan Statistical Area	$683	$708	$785		USDA: Lino, M. (2001). Expenditures on children by famlies, 2000 annual report. [Online]. Available: here
	age 0-2	age 9-11	age 15-17	as of date	Source
Urban Midwest - USDA est. monthly expenditure	$674	$705	$781		USDAi
Illinois	$343	$382	$415	1998	NDASii
Indiana	$486	$536	$603	1998	NDASii
Iowa	$434	$458	$512	11/00	link
Kansas	N/A	N/A	N/A		NDASii
Michigan	$426	$426	$526	12/01	link
Minnesota	$458	$458	$561	1998	NDASii
Missouri	$316	$364	$392	1998	NDASii
Nebraska	$222	$292	$352	02/98	link
North Dakota	$317	$359	$469	1998	NDASii
Ohio	$603	$603	$603	1998	NDASii
South Dakota	$353	$353	$424	1998	NDASii
Wisconsin	$289	$315	$374	1998	NDASii
	age 0-2	age 9-11	age 15-17	as of date	Source
Urban South - USDA est. monthly expenditure	$739	$757	$839		USDAi
Alabama	$350	$374	$386	01/02	B. Schaffer, personal communication
Arkansas	$400	$425	$475	1998	NDASii
Delaware	$410	$410	$511	1998	NDASii
District of Columbia	$445	$445	$536	1998	NDASii
Florida	$345	$355	$425	1998	NDASii
Georgia	$388	$411	$433	2001	link
Kentucky	$599	$599	$660		link
Louisiana	$331	$365	$399	1998	NDASii
Maryland	$535	$535	$550	since 1992	link
Mississippi	$325	$355	$390	1998	NDASii
North Carolina	$315	$365	$415	since 1995	link
Oklahoma	$300	$360	$420	1998	NDASii
South Carolina	$212	$239	$305	1998	NDASii
Tennessee	$336	$262	$385	1998	NDASii
Texas	N/A	N/A	N/A		NDASii
Virginia	$270	$316	$400	1998	NDASii
West Virginia	$400	$400	$400	1998	NDASii
	age 0-2	age 9-11	age 15-17	as of date	Source
Urban Northeast	$749	$783	$861		USDAi
Connecticut	$687	$703	$773	07/01	link
Maine	N/A	N/A	N/A		NDASii
Massachusetts	$448	$464	$515	1998	NDASii
New Hampshire	N/A	N/A	N/A		NDASii
New Jersey	$400	$430	$500	03/99	link
New York	$419 upstate $460 metro	$504 upstate $541 metro	$583 upstate $626 metro	07/01	http://www.nysccc.org
Pennsylvania	N/A	N/A	N/A		NDASii
Rhode Island	$308	$285	$340	1998	NDASii
Vermont	$436	$483	$535	07/00	link
	age 0-2	age 9-11	age 15-17	as of date	Source
Urban West	$789	$818	$894		USDAi
Alaska	$652	$580	$689	1998	NDAS National Data Analysis System. [Online]. Available: http://ndas.cwla.org
Arizona	N/A	N/A	N/A		NDASii
California	$375	$436	$528	1998	NDASii
Colorado	$349	$392	$423	1998	NDASii
Hawaii	N/A	N/A	N/A		NDASii
Idaho	$251	$275	$394	07/00	Steve Green, DHW
Montana	N/A	N/A	N/A		NDASii
Nevada	$403	$403	$494	1998	NDASii
New Mexico	$308	$341	$367	1998	NDASii
Oregon	$356	$370	$457	1998	NDASii
Utah	$326	$326	$326	1998	NDASii
Washington	$338	$410	$481	1998	NDASii
Wyoming	$400	$400	$400	1998	NDASii

Credits: Source: National Foster Parent Association