Socioeconomic Characteristics of Neighborhoods where Youth in Out-of-Home Care Reside.

In the U.S., little is known about the neighborhoods where youth in out-of-home care live prior to emancipation. This study describes the socioeconomic characteristics of such neighborhoods. Addresses for 229 youth aged 16-20 years and residing in out-of-home care in a single Midwest county were used. Addresses were geocoded and linked to U.S. Census' data at the census tract level. Neighborhoods, or tracts, with youth in out-of-home care were significantly more disadvantaged across five area-based socioeconomic indicators. Findings suggest that youth in out-of-home care live in neighborhoods with disproportionately high rates of socioeconomic disadvantage.