Massachusetts
Massachusetts stopped submitting child-fatality counts through the NCANDS Child File after FFY2021: the Child Maltreatment 2023 report showed blank cells for FFY2022 and FFY2023. In Child Maltreatment 2024 the state resumed reporting through a separate channel — the Agency File — showing 9 fatalities for FFY2022, 11 for FFY2023, and 6 for FFY2024. The five-year series below is the Total Fatalities column, which sums both submission types. The pre-2022 and 2022-onward figures come from different reporting streams and are not strictly comparable.
The funnel, FFY 2024
Massachusetts vs. national
What happened to reports of child maltreatment in Massachusetts in federal fiscal year 2024, at each decision point. Rates are what make states comparable; raw counts mostly measure population.
| Stage | Massachusetts | Rate | National |
|---|---|---|---|
| Referrals to CPSCounts: referrals | 83,132 | 61.3per 1,000 children | 59.3 |
| Screened in (became reports)Counts: referrals | 34,88742.0% of referrals | — | 47.1% |
| Screened outCounts: referrals | 48,24558.0% of referrals | — | 52.9% |
| Children investigated or given an alternative responseCounts: children | 59,314 | 43.8per 1,000 children | 40.6 |
| Child victims (substantiated or indicated)Counts: children | 20,196 | 14.9per 1,000 children | 7.2 |
| Child fatalitiesCounts: children | 6 | 0.44per 100,000 children | 2.41 |
Referrals, reports, children, and victims are four different denominators and are not interchangeable. A referral may concern more than one child; a child may appear in more than one referral; a victim is a child with a substantiated or indicated disposition. National figures are the Children's Bureau's own estimates, not sums of the state rows.
Source: Child Maltreatment 2024 (NCANDS), Tables 2-3, 3-1, 3-3, 4-1
What Massachusetts does not report
For the measures on this page, Massachusetts reported a figure in every year covered. That is not the same as the figures being complete or comparable — see the methodology for what the federal record does not measure at all.
Maltreatment and fatalities over time (NCANDS)
Child fatalities reported to NCANDS, Massachusetts, FFY2020 to FFY2024
Source: Child Maltreatment 2024 (NCANDS)
KARA VerifiedChild Maltreatment 2024 (NCANDS)FFY 2024Counts: child fatalities
Child maltreatment victims, Massachusetts, FFY2020 to FFY2024
Source: Child Maltreatment 2024 (NCANDS)
KARA VerifiedChild Maltreatment 2024 (NCANDS)FFY 2024Counts: child victims (substantiated or indicated)
Foster care (AFCARS)
The trend to watch in this table: Massachusetts halved its foster-care entries between 2014 (6,688) and 2022 (3,836). Children in care on September 30 peaked at 10,916 in 2017 and had fallen to 8,824 by 2022. Terminations of parental rights peaked at 1,722 in 2019 and were down to 1,316 by 2022 — a decade-long decline in every column that measures state removal.
| Measure | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adopted with public agency involvement | 799 | 589 | 623 | 669 | 657 | 826 | 998 | 762 | 755 | 835 |
| Entered foster care | 5,425 | 6,688 | 6,250 | 6,661 | 6,103 | 5,789 | 5,420 | 4,594 | 4,400 | 3,836 |
| Exited foster care | 5,115 | 5,065 | 5,669 | 5,769 | 5,836 | 5,850 | 5,940 | 4,969 | 4,404 | 4,082 |
| In foster care on September 30 | 8,537 | 9,937 | 10,278 | 10,910 | 10,916 | 10,607 | 9,862 | 9,320 | 9,190 | 8,824 |
| Children served in foster care | 13,652 | 15,002 | 15,947 | 16,679 | 16,752 | 16,457 | 15,802 | 14,289 | 13,594 | 12,906 |
| Termination of parental rights | 1,126 | 1,178 | 1,219 | 1,251 | 1,427 | 1,671 | 1,722 | 1,452 | 1,416 | 1,316 |
| Waiting for adoption | 2,492 | 2,771 | 3,051 | 3,481 | 3,656 | 3,382 | 3,646 | 3,548 | 3,486 | 3,342 |
Source: AFCARS state tables, FY2013 to FY2022
AFCARS 2020 rule, FFY2023 to FFY2025 (preliminary)
Collected under the AFCARS 2020 final rule, first effective FFY 2023. Counts include ages 0 to 23. Figures are preliminary estimates from submissions received by February 27, 2026, and states may still revise them. This series is not comparable with the FY 2013 to FY 2022 series, which was collected under the 1993 rule and counted a narrower population; this site does not join the two. Wyoming first submitted under the new rule for FFY 2024 and Washington for FFY 2025; earlier years for those states are shown as not reported.
| Measure | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entered foster care | 3,631 | 3,302 | 3,068 |
| In foster care on September 30 | 8,916 | 8,564 | 8,323 |
| Exited foster care | 3,458 | 3,586 | 3,208 |
Counts: children (ages 0 to 23)
Source: AFCARS Dashboard, preliminary FFY2025 estimates (No. 33)
Massachusetts in the archive
What the numbers above cost, in KARA's own reporting.
- Best & Worst States For America's Children
KARA reportingMike TikkanenJune 19, 2026
Where does your state rank in protecting children & what can you do to make improvements. These statistics tell the stories of our best and worst states around the nation
- The Real Cost of Child Maltreatment, CPS, and Recidivism
KARA reportingMike TikkanenJune 12, 2026
Child maltreatment does not end when a CPS case is closed. The same children who enter child protection often show up later in juvenile justice and adult prison, driving recidivism rates of 70–80% and an estimated cost of more than $1.3 mil...
- America’s Child Abuse Emergency: 546,000 Victims, 2,000 Deaths, and a System That Chooses This
KARA reportingMike TikkanenJune 6, 2026
Child abuse in the United States is not rare or random — it is the predictable outcome of policy choices. In 2023, about 546,000 children were confirmed victims of abuse or neglect and an estimated 2,000 were killed, roughly five children e...
- Family First & Child Neglect Studies and Reporting
KARA reportingMike TikkanenMay 13, 2026
Contrary to a common assumption, neglect is not less damaging than abuse. Research shows neglect victims have lifelong problems because they miss developmental milestones around language, self-control, and bonding with others. A constant di...
- School Performance, Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow & What To Do
KARA reportingMike TikkanenMay 5, 2026
• “Since 2020, national and state test data show steep declines in foundational reading and math skills that are not bouncing back on their own. If current trends hold, by 2034 a majority of U.S. students will need remedial support, deepeni...
- Family First & Child Neglect Studies and Reporting 2
KARA reportingMike TikkanenApril 18, 2026
Contrary to a common assumption, neglect is not less damaging than abuse. Research shows neglect victims have lifelong problems because they miss developmental milestones around language, self-control, and bonding with others. A constant di...
- Best and Worst Hospitals For U.S. Children (Beckers Hospital Review)
KARA reportingMike TikkanenApril 8, 2026
Which states give kids the best chance at a healthy life? This review ranks all 50 states and D.C. on children’s healthcare, nutrition, and oral health—and the gaps are stark.
- From Classrooms to Homeless Shelters: How Our Choices Hurt Children
KARA reportingMike TikkanenMarch 24, 2026
Compared to other advanced nations America treats children and the people who care for them as an afterthought and then acts surprised when our schools and child‑welfare systems are overwhelmed with troubled children suffering from health a...