Data were provided by 43 Missouri juvenile courts. The standard metropolitan statistical area (SMSA) designation is used to describe metropolitan counties or counties which have a population spillover from the metropolitan counties. Juvenile delinquency cases are those which are referred to the juvenile courts for acts of violation of State laws or municipal ordinances committed by children up to the age of 17. The number of reported juvenile delinquency referrals including traffic referrals in 1977 totaled 46,745, a decrease of 2.8 percent over the past year. Referrals for delinquent behavior, excluding traffic, decreased (2.2 percent) from 33,780 in 1976 to 33,041. Since some children are referred more than once a year, the actual number of referrals involves only an estimated 26,750 juveniles. Juvenile delinquency continues to be more prevalent in metropolitan areas than in more rural ones. In the SMSA counties 63.7 percent of the detained referrals (18.6 percent of 11,379 delinquency referrals statewide) were placed in special detention facilities, 30.6 percent in jail, and 5.7 percent in foster homes and other facilities. However, in the rural counties, 75.2 percent of the detained juveniles were placed in jail, 20.4 percent in special detention facilities, and 4.4 percent in foster homes and other facilities. When classified by sex, 20.1 percent of the referred girls were detained compared with 18 percent of the boys. Of the total number of juveniles detained, 31.1 percent were girls and 68.9 percent were boys. Approximately 17.4 percent of the total cases were disposed of officially (through adjudication by the juvenile court judge). Of the referred delinquency cases, 786 (6.9 percent) were dismissed, and in 658 cases (5.8 percent) legal custody of the juvenile was transferred. During 1977, there were 5,005 referrals for dependency and neglect. Of the total 7,271 special proceedings cases, 2,174 were adoption cases, and the remaining were in the following categories: commitment of mentally defective children, material witnesses, application for consent to marry, and determination of the custody or guardianship of children. Tabular data are provided.