Children

SmileHub - With nearly 330,000 children in the U.S. in foster care, the non-profit organization SmileHub today released new reports on the States with the Best Foster Care Systems in 2026 and the Best Charities for Children to highlight the needs of these disadvantaged youth and the states doing their best to support them.

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 who re-entered the foster care system after adoption to equality laws and regulations for children in foster care.

Best States		States in Need of Improvement
1. New Jersey		41. South Dakota
2. Virginia		42. Alabama
3. Connecticut		43. Arizona
4. Iowa		44. Montana
5. Colorado		45. Indiana
6. Delaware		46. Kansas
7. California		47. Vermont
8. New York		48. Florida
9. Minnesota		49. New Mexico
10. Louisiana		50. Alaska

Key Stats

• New Jersey has the lowest share of children in foster care – 13.9 times lower than West Virginia, which has the highest share.
• California has the most children’s charities per capita  – 12.6 times more than Rhode Island, which has the fewest charities.
• Delaware has the largest share of children adopted within 3 years – 2.9 times larger than Illinois, which has the smallest share of children adopted.

 To view the full report and your state’s rank