A youth's departure from home marks the beginning of adulthood. Studies of former foster
youth who aged out of care showed that these youth generally had poor employment
outcomes in the period between ages 18 and 21. Using linked child welfare, wage and
public assistance administrative data from three states (California, Minnesota and North
Carolina), we investigated whether or not age-out youth continue to experience less
employment and significantly lower earnings compared to their peers even into their mid …