A total of 1,040 publicly operated state and local juvenile detention, correction, and shelter facilities held 49,322 juvenile residents on February 1, 1985, an increase of 1% from the previous year. About 93% of the juveniles were accused of, or had been convicted for, acts which would be criminal offenses if committed by adults. Most of the rest were status offenders, such as truants, runaways, or curfew violators. The juvenile population was predominantly male (86%) and white (61%). There were 185 juveniles confined in public facilities per 100,000 juveniles at least 10 years old, up 5% from 1985. The western United States had the highest confinement rate, followed by the Midwest, South, and Northeast. About 18% of the public juvenile facilities had more residents than they were designed to hold, down from 21% in 1983. Most facilities were locally run, although most juveniles were held in state-run facilities. The average cost for housing one resident was highest in the Northeast ($39,000), followed by the Midwest ($26,100), the West ($22,900), and the South ($22,700). Juveniles detained pending adjudication, disposition, or placement stayed an average of 12 days in custody. Juveniles committed by court authorities stayed an average of 163 days; those who were voluntarily admitted stayed an average of 32 days. (Twelve tables illustrate the statistics.) (ABL)