The National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) is a federally sponsored effort that collects and analyzes annual data on child abuse and neglect. Data are submitted by the States and the District of Columbia. This annual report from NCANDS is based upon case-level data from 44 States, including the District of Columbia and presents findings for Federal fiscal year 2003. It provides national information about child maltreatment known to the States’ child protective services (CPS) agencies. The report also includes State-level findings about perpetrators of maltreatment, CPS workforce workload, and preventive and post-investigation services. The report is divided into five main chapters: reports, victims, fatalities, perpetrators, and services. Key findings in the 2003 report include: (1) during 2003, an estimated 906,000 children were victims of abuse or neglect; (2) an estimated 2.0 million referrals of abuse or neglect concerning about 5.5 million children were received by CPS agencies; (3) nationally, 63.2 percent of child victims experienced neglect, including medical neglect; and (4) a national estimate of 1,500 children died of abuse or neglect, a rate of 2.00 children per 100,000 in the national population. Tables and appendixes A-E