The total number of residents in public juvenile custody facilities across the Nation declined slightly between late 1977 and late 1979, while growth in the stock of public facilities virtually stopped for the first time in a decade. A decrease occurred during this same 2-year period in the status offender population of girls, while a small increase occurred in the number of boys in custody. The 1979 census revealed that approximately 45,300 residents were housed in 993 public facilities nationwide at yearend, or 1 percent fewer than the 45,900 counted in nearly the same number of establishments (992) 2 years earlier. In contrast to the drop in status offenders held in custody, the number held for delinquency increased by 4 percent. The ratio of committed to detained youths remained at roughly 3 to 1. As a result of the 1977-79 decline in the number of girls in custody, their share of the total juvenile population was reduced from 16 to 14 percent, a continuation of a trend noted in the 1977 census. As in 1977, black youths comprised about a third of all juveniles held in public sector facilities, or about 2.5 times more than their relative number among the general U.S. population. The proportion of juveniles of Hispanic origin rose from 9 to 10 percent between 1977 and 1979, as compared to their 6-percent contribution to the age-relevant population at large. For the first time during the decade, the annual resident turnover rate at public facilities was well below the 600,000 level for both admissions and departures. Footnotes and three data tables are included.