States of opportunity for youth aging out of foster care

Abstract

Over 20,000 youth age out of foster care each year in the United States facing various hardships. Research demonstrates that extended foster care beneficially impacts youth aging out of care; however, it is less clear which states assist these youth. This descriptive paper explores which states effectively assist foster youth aging out of care. I use the National Youth in Transition Database and a two‐step regression‐adjusted approach to determine state effectiveness across a variety of outcomes, including college enrollment, employment, disconnectedness, homelessness, incarceration, substance abuse, and parenthood. I find considerable variation in state effectiveness depending on the outcome.