Hawaii Foster Care Data
Hawaii ranks #9 of 51 jurisdictions for reunification: 53.0% of FY2022 exits returned to a parent or primary caregiver, 7.8 points above the national rate.
- C
- Four-measure profile grade
- 1,340
- #46 caseload nationally
- 53.0%
- Reunification (#9)
- 16.6%
- Adoption (#48)
The verdict
Signature read: adoption at 16.6% (#48) is Hawaii's thinnest named exit share in FY2022. Hawaii held 1,340 children in foster care on September 30, FY2022 and sits in the top quarter nationally for reunification (#9 of 51) at 53.0%, with a C four-measure profile grade that is not an overall quality verdict.
- #9
- reunification rank of 51 jurisdictions
- 53.0%
- FY2022 reunification rate
- #48
- adoption rank nationally
- 13.7 mo
- median length of stay
Hawaii sits in the upper third of the FY2022 AFCARS reunification distribution (53.0% of exits, #9 of 51). Caseload is sparse-system scale: 1,340 children in care on September 30 (#46 nationally). Profile grade C 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
11% 24th percentile lower than 24% 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 HI · Hawaii C · #9 reunif
1,340 in care · 952 exits · FY2022
- REUN 53.0%
- ADOPT 16.6%
- AGE 10.8%
- LOS 13.7 mo
- RANK #9/51
- GRADE C
- CARE 1,340
- EXITS 952
- PHOTO New Hampshire
- BOOK FY2022 TAR
Nearest caseload peer: New Hampshire (159 children vs Hawaii)
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.
-
Children adopted
273 158
Fell by 115 (−42.1%) across the FY2021–FY2022 pair.
-
Children exiting care
1,138 952
Fell by 186 (−16.3%) across the FY2021–FY2022 pair.
-
Children entering care
1,037 906
Fell by 131 (−12.6%) across the FY2021–FY2022 pair.
-
Children served
2,556 2,292
Fell by 264 (−10.3%) across the FY2021–FY2022 pair.
How Hawaii's 952 FY2022 exits break down
Counts rounded from each published exit-share × 952 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 Hawaii's reunification-heavy FY2022 exit mix
Named exit shares for this jurisdiction beside reunification vs the national rate. Competing shares of one exits denominator, not a scorecard.
Hawaii 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 short stays or matching adoption share
Two AFCARS peer sets for Hawaii, nearest by metric distance rather than reunification-rank standings.
Similar median length of stay
Nearest jurisdictions by median months in care (13.7 mo here).
Similar adoption share of exits
Jurisdictions with a comparable adoption exit share (16.6% here).
Kinship-led placement mix in Hawaii
Caseload is sparse-system scale: 1,340 children in care on September 30 (#46 nationally). Lead setting: relative/kinship care at 45.1%.
Hawaii children returned to a parent or primary caregiver
Children exiting foster care via adoption in Hawaii
Youth exiting foster care at age 18+ without permanency
Hawaii's decade caseload trail (sparse-system AFCARS counts)
Signature read: adoption at 16.6% (#48) is Hawaii's thinnest named exit share in FY2022. AFCARS count series from FY2013 to FY2022 for Hawaii.
| Metric | FY2013 | FY2015 | FY2017 | FY2019 | FY2021 | FY2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Children Served | 2,065 | 2,338 | 2,697 | 2,875 | 2,556 | 2,292 |
| In Care (Sep 30) | 1,085 | 1,360 | 1,607 | 1,706 | 1,418 | 1,340 |
| Entered Care | 1,022 | 1,189 | 1,179 | 1,272 | 1,037 | 906 |
| Exited Care | 980 | 978 | 1,090 | 1,169 | 1,138 | 952 |
| Waiting Adoption | 154 | 142 | 247 | 278 | 244 | 249 |
| Adopted | 160 | 176 | 152 | 206 | 273 | 158 |
Hawaii FAQ - reunification-heavy jurisdiction
Signature read: adoption at 16.6% (#48) is Hawaii's thinnest named exit share in FY2022. Median stay is short-tail at 13.7 months among exits.
How many children are in foster care in Hawaii?
1,340 children were in foster care on September 30, 2022, in the FY2022 AFCARS state table.
What is Hawaii's foster care grade?
C. This profile grade equally combines within-release percentiles for reunification, adoption, aging out, and median length of stay.
What is the adoption rate in Hawaii?
16.6%, ranked #48 of 51 states.
How does Hawaii compare to other states on aging out?
10.8% of youth age out without permanency, 1.6 points above the national rate. That is a lower rate than 24% of the 51 reporting states in FY2022 AFCARS.
Read our methodology - how Hawaii's FY2022 AFCARS row is sourced, computed, and verified.
U.S. Children's Bureau AFCARS FY2022 jurisdiction report for Hawaii (HI). ACF Trends in Foster Care and Adoption workbooks FY2013-FY2022; adoption share of exits stamp 16.6%.
Source: U.S. Children's Bureau (Administration for Children and Families) AFCARS workbooks and jurisdiction reports · FY2022 Hawaii rates are exits shares from the jurisdiction report; in-care counts are the September 30 stock. Caseload is sparse-system scale: 1,340 children in care on September 30 (#46 nationally).