District of Columbia Foster Care Data
District of Columbia ranks #48 of 51 jurisdictions for reunification: 33.8% of FY2022 exits returned to a parent or primary caregiver, 11.4 points below the national rate.
- D
- Four-measure profile grade
- 427
- #51 caseload nationally
- 33.8%
- Reunification (#48)
- 36.9%
- Adoption (#5)
The verdict
Signature read: the September 30 stock (427 children, #51) is District of Columbia's sparsest scale stamp. District of Columbia held 427 children in foster care on September 30, FY2022 and is among the lowest reunification rates nationally (#48 of 51) at 33.8%, with a D four-measure profile grade that is not an overall quality verdict.
- #48
- reunification rank of 51 jurisdictions
- 33.8%
- FY2022 reunification rate
- #5
- adoption rank nationally
- 23.9 mo
- median length of stay
District of Columbia sits in the lower third of the FY2022 reunification distribution (33.8% of exits, #48 of 51). Median stay is long-tail at 23.9 months among exits. Profile grade D averages four within-release percentiles; it is not a federal quality verdict.
A within-release percentile composite of four AFCARS measures, not an overall quality verdict or a federal assessment. Reunification and adoption are each scored on their own percentile, never against each other.
Aging out of foster care vs. every US state
FY2022 AFCARS: youth who exit care at majority without a permanent family
20% 6th percentile lower than 6% of 51 US states
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US states. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source ACF/AFCARS state tables · FY2022
AFCARS jurisdiction row
State TAR extract DC · District of Columbia D · #48 reunif
427 in care · 260 exits · FY2022
- REUN 33.8%
- ADOPT 36.9%
- AGE 20.0%
- LOS 23.9 mo
- RANK #48/51
- GRADE D
- CARE 427
- EXITS 260
- PHOTO Delaware
- BOOK FY2022 TAR
Nearest caseload peer: Delaware (121 children vs District of Columbia)
The 10 coded stamps above and the extract ID beside them come from the same Children's Bureau AFCARS FY2022 Title-IV-E/B TAR submission, standardized so every jurisdiction's row uses identical measure definitions. Read with this state →
Reunification neighbourhood
AFCARS annual change
What changed from FY2021 to FY2022
The latest comparable state count pair from the U.S. Children's Bureau AFCARS trend series. These are reported changes, not a quality rating or an explanation of why a count moved.
-
Parental rights terminations
3 0
Fell by 3 (−100.0%) across the FY2021–FY2022 pair.
-
Children entering care
243 189
Fell by 54 (−22.2%) across the FY2021–FY2022 pair.
-
Children in care on September 30
504 427
Fell by 77 (−15.3%) across the FY2021–FY2022 pair.
-
Children served
810 687
Fell by 123 (−15.2%) across the FY2021–FY2022 pair.
How District of Columbia's 260 FY2022 exits break down
Counts rounded from each published exit-share × 260 exits. Named routes do not cover every AFCARS discharge reason; the residual is other published exit routes (guardianship, transfer, and similar), not missing rows.
Two views of District of Columbia's reunification-light FY2022 exit mix
Named exit shares for this jurisdiction beside reunification vs the national rate. Competing shares of one exits denominator, not a scorecard.
District of Columbia exit routes
Reunification vs national
Same reunification rate as the bar chart; tick marks the national AFCARS rate as context only.
Nationwide peers with similarly long stays or matching adoption share
Two AFCARS peer sets for District of Columbia, nearest by metric distance rather than reunification-rank standings.
Similar median length of stay
Nearest jurisdictions by median months in care (23.9 mo here).
Similar adoption share of exits
Jurisdictions with a comparable adoption exit share (36.9% here).
Foster-family placement mix in District of Columbia
Caseload is sparse-system scale: 427 children in care on September 30 (#51 nationally). Lead setting: foster family home at 49.4%.
District of Columbia children returned to a parent or primary caregiver
Children exiting foster care via adoption in District of Columbia
Youth exiting foster care at age 18+ without permanency
District of Columbia's decade caseload trail (sparse-system AFCARS counts)
Signature read: the September 30 stock (427 children, #51) is District of Columbia's sparsest scale stamp. AFCARS count series from FY2013 to FY2022 for District of Columbia.
| Metric | FY2013 | FY2015 | FY2017 | FY2019 | FY2021 | FY2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Children Served | 1,602 | 1,294 | 1,131 | 1,061 | 810 | 687 |
| In Care (Sep 30) | 1,034 | 873 | 751 | 672 | 504 | 427 |
| Entered Care | 396 | 435 | 321 | 360 | 243 | 189 |
| Exited Care | 568 | 422 | 380 | 389 | 306 | 260 |
| Waiting Adoption | 276 | 233 | 190 | 202 | 156 | 139 |
| Adopted | 110 | 106 | 91 | 98 | 110 | 97 |
District of Columbia FAQ - reunification-light jurisdiction
Signature read: the September 30 stock (427 children, #51) is District of Columbia's sparsest scale stamp. Median stay is long-tail at 23.9 months among exits.
How many children are in foster care in District of Columbia?
427 children were in foster care on September 30, 2022, in the FY2022 AFCARS state table.
What is District of Columbia's foster care grade?
A D, based on four equally weighted AFCARS measures. It is a descriptive profile, not a judgment of overall system quality.
What is the adoption rate in District of Columbia?
District of Columbia adopts out 36.9% of exits, #5 of 51 nationally.
How does District of Columbia compare to other states on aging out?
20.0% of youth age out without permanency, 10.8 points above the national rate. That is a lower rate than 6% of the 51 reporting states in FY2022 AFCARS.
Read our methodology - how District of Columbia's FY2022 AFCARS row is sourced, computed, and verified.
U.S. Children's Bureau AFCARS FY2022 jurisdiction report for District of Columbia (DC). ACF Trends in Foster Care and Adoption workbooks FY2013-FY2022; September 30 caseload stamp 427.
Source: U.S. Children's Bureau (Administration for Children and Families) AFCARS workbooks and jurisdiction reports · FY2022 District of Columbia rates are exits shares from the jurisdiction report; in-care counts are the September 30 stock. Caseload is sparse-system scale: 427 children in care on September 30 (#51 nationally).