TABULAR DATA ARE BROKEN DOWN BY YEAR (1974, 1975, AND 1977), BY TYPE OF FACILITY (OPEN OR INSTITUTIONAL), AND BY STATE (50 STATES AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA). PRELIMINARY RESULTS POINT TO A 7-PERCENT INCREASE IN PRIVATE JUVENILE FACILITIES FROM 1975 TO 1977 AS OPPOSED TO THE 7-PERCENT DECREASE IN THE NUMBER OF FACILITIES OPERATED DIRECTLY BY GOVERNMENT AGENCIES. THESE FINDINGS INDICATE THE GREATER RELIANCE BY JUVENILE AUTHORITIES ON THE 'OPEN' TYPE OF RESIDENTIAL ENVIRONMENT WHICH IS MORE AVAILABLE IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR THAN FROM THE GOVERNMENT. NONOFFENDERS, SUCH AS ABUSED CHILDREN, MENTALLY RETARDED YOUNGSTERS, ETC., PREDOMINATED AMONG THE JUVENILES HOUSED IN PRIVATE FACILITIES; NEXT MOST NUMEROUS WERE STATUS OFFENDERS AND DELINQUENTS. IN CONTRAST, THE LARGEST NUMBER OF YOUTHS HELD IN PUBLIC FACILITIES (86 PERCENT) WERE DELINQUENTS. ONLY 11 PERCENT WERE STATUS OFFENDERS, AND 3 PERCENT WERE NONOFFENDERS. IN ADDITION, BOYS GREATLY OUTNUMBERED GIRLS IN THE JUVENILE FACILITY SYSTEM AS A WHOLE, BUT THE PROPORTION OF GIRLS WAS NOTABLY HIGHER IN THE PRIVATE THAN THE PUBLIC SECTOR (30 PERCENT VERSUS 16 PERCENT). DATA ON RACIAL COMPOSITION REVEAL THAT BLACK YOUTHS CONSTITUTED A MARKEDLY SMALLER PROPORTION OF THE PRIVATE THAN OF THE PUBLIC TOTAL (ONE-FIFTH AS COMPARED WITH ONE-THIRD). FEW PRIVATE FACILITIES REPORT OCCUPANCY IN EXCESS OF DESIGN CAPACITY, AS OPPOSED TO PUBLIC FACILITIES WHICH ARE OFTEN SUBJECT TO A HIGH DEGREE OF OVERCROWDING. THE LARGEST INCREASES OF JUVENILES IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR OCCURRED IN OHIO, KANSAS, AND MINNESOTA; THE HIGHEST RATIOS OF JUVENILES PER 100,000 POPULATION PREVAILED IN ALASKA AND SOUTH DAKOTA. A FEW FOOTNOTES ARE PROVIDED.