Aging Out Rate by State
Share of FY2022 exits discharged through emancipation. FY2022 data; rankings require at least 500 exits, which 49 jurisdictions meet.
- 8.5%
- Qualifying mean (n=49)
- 7.1%
- Qualifying median
- 1.5%
- Lowest
- 25.7%
- Highest
This ranks aging out rate only, not overall state child-welfare quality or child safety. With fewer exits, a handful of cases can swing the rate.
#1 among the qualifying cohort: West Virginia at 1.5% (cohort median 7.1%).
Where the 49 qualifying jurisdictions sit
According to the U.S. Children's Bureau AFCARS FY2022 jurisdiction tables, half of the qualifying jurisdictions fall between 5.4% and 10.3%, so the 24.2-percentage-point gap between 1.5% and 25.7% is driven by the tails, not by a broadly split field.
- 7.1%
- Cohort median
- 5.4-10.3%
- Middle half of jurisdictions
- 23
- Jurisdictions in the most crowded band (6.3-11.2%)
- r 0.22
- Relationship to caseload size
Caseload size shows a weak relationship to this measure across the qualifying cohort (Pearson r = 0.22, n = 49): big states are not systematically higher or lower. Correlation is not causation, and this measure is not adjusted for case mix, state law, or court practice.
Where the 49 qualifying jurisdictions sit
Equal-width bands across the observed FY2022 range. Band counts sum to the qualifying cohort (49), not to a quality score.
Two views of the same qualifying cohort
Distribution of jurisdictions meeting the exit floor, beside the #1 reading on the same scale. Neither chart is an overall child-welfare grade.
Distribution of aging out rate, FY2022
How the 49 jurisdictions meeting the 500-exit floor spread across the observed range
#1 · West Virginia
Same ranked #1 value as the table below; tick marks the cohort median as context only.
What the FY2022 Aging Out Rate Data Reveals
This is a wide-tail board: FY2022 runs 24.2 points from 25.7 to 1.5%, so the ranked list is dominated by extremes rather than a split middle. West Virginia is an outlier relative to the median (1.5% vs 7.1%); treat #1 as a tail case, not the typical jurisdiction.
Across the 49 jurisdictions that meet the ≥500-exit floor, the unweighted mean was 8.5% in FY2022 (median 7.1%). Delaware and D.C. are omitted because fewer than 500 exits make the rate highly volatile.
Aging out counts youth who leave care without reunification, adoption, or guardianship as a share of FY2022 exits. Lower ranks first on this board. A low aging-out rate can reflect more permanency exits, a younger caseload mix, or both; the AFCARS jurisdiction report does not separate those drivers, so this page keeps the figure descriptive.
The ranking is descriptive and does not adjust for case mix, state law, reporting systems, courts, consent decrees, or service availability. Percentages use the applicable FY2022 discharge count divided by all exits. This data is informational and does not substitute for child welfare agency consultation, state caseworker guidance, or legal advice.
Qualifying Jurisdictions, Ranked by Aging Out Rate
| # | State | Grade | Aging Out Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Virginia | B | 1.5% |
| 2 | Maine | B | 1.6% |
| 3 | Wyoming | B | 1.6% |
| 4 | Indiana | B | 3.1% |
| 5 | Mississippi | B | 3.2% |
| 6 | Colorado | C | 3.7% |
| 7 | North Carolina | C | 4.0% |
| 8 | Idaho | A | 4.2% |
| 9 | Oklahoma | C | 4.3% |
| 10 | North Dakota | B | 4.5% |
| 11 | Louisiana | B | 5.3% |
| 12 | Washington | C | 5.3% |
| 13 | Montana | C | 5.4% |
| 14 | Nevada | B | 5.5% |
| 15 | New Mexico | B | 5.6% |
| 16 | Florida | B | 6.3% |
| 17 | Connecticut | D | 6.4% |
| 18 | Nebraska | C | 6.5% |
| 19 | Texas | C | 6.5% |
| 20 | Utah | B | 6.6% |
| 21 | Vermont | B | 6.7% |
| 22 | Iowa | B | 6.8% |
| 23 | Tennessee | C | 6.8% |
| 24 | Minnesota | C | 7.1% |
| 25 | South Dakota | C | 7.1% |
| 26 | Arkansas | C | 7.5% |
| 27 | Alaska | C | 8.1% |
| 28 | New Hampshire | B | 8.5% |
| 29 | Alabama | C | 9.0% |
| 30 | Pennsylvania | C | 9.0% |
| 31 | Arizona | C | 9.2% |
| 32 | New Jersey | C | 9.3% |
| 33 | Oregon | D | 9.5% |
| 34 | Missouri | D | 9.8% |
| 35 | Illinois | C | 9.9% |
| 36 | South Carolina | C | 10.2% |
| 37 | Wisconsin | D | 10.3% |
| 38 | Kentucky | C | 10.6% |
| 39 | Hawaii | C | 10.8% |
| 40 | Georgia | D | 11.2% |
| 41 | Kansas | C | 12.1% |
| 42 | Rhode Island | D | 12.1% |
| 43 | California | C | 13.3% |
| 44 | Michigan | D | 13.7% |
| 45 | Ohio | D | 14.1% |
| 46 | Massachusetts | D | 15.9% |
| 47 | Virginia | D | 18.7% |
| 48 | New York | F | 20.4% |
| 49 | Maryland | F | 25.7% |
Other Metrics
Frequently Asked Questions
What is aging out rate in foster care?
Share of FY2022 exits discharged through emancipation. PlainFoster derives this measure from FY2022 AFCARS jurisdiction reports published by the federal Administration for Children and Families.
Which state has the best aging out rate?
Among jurisdictions with ≥500 FY2022 exits, West Virginia ranks first at 1.5%. Lower values rank first. West Virginia is an outlier relative to the median (1.5% vs 7.1%); treat #1 as a tail case, not the typical jurisdiction. The unweighted mean of that qualifying cohort is 8.5%. Delaware (256 exits) and D.C. (260) are omitted.
Why is the aging out rate range so wide?
The AFCARS tables show a 24.2-percentage-point span across qualifying jurisdictions but do not establish causes. Case mix, state law, courts, and reporting can differ; this page keeps the figure descriptive.
How is aging out rate calculated?
Aging Out Rate is derived from AFCARS jurisdiction reports published by the Administration for Children and Families. It measures share of fy2022 exits discharged through emancipation. The FY2022 data reflects the federal fiscal year ending September 30, 2022.
Read with this measure
Youth Aging Out of Care
supports and context for exits without permanency
Source: Administration for Children and Families, AFCARS Report FY2022. acf.hhs.gov
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Source: U.S. Children's Bureau (Administration for Children and Families) AFCARS foster care placement, exit, and outcome statistics · 2022 Rates are shares of exits in the jurisdiction report; they are not a composite child-welfare grade.
According to the U.S. Children's Bureau (Administration for Children and Families), foster-care counts and discharge outcomes are published in AFCARS workbooks and jurisdiction reports. Every figure on PlainFoster is rebuilt from those federal tables; no number is typed in by an editor. This ranking is rebuilt from FY2022 AFCARS jurisdiction-report counts. The displayed mean is an unweighted mean of the 50 states and District of Columbia. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-07-30. AFCARS figures are federal fiscal-year foster-care counts and discharge rates from jurisdiction reports - not child-welfare quality rankings, court-performance scores, case-level advice, or real-time caseload status.