Maryland Foster Care Data
Maryland ranks #47 of 51 jurisdictions for reunification: 35.3% of FY2022 exits returned to a parent or primary caregiver, 9.9 points below the national rate.
- F
- Four-measure profile grade
- 3,609
- #34 caseload nationally
- 35.3%
- Reunification (#47)
- 14.0%
- Adoption (#50)
The verdict
Signature read: adoption at 14.0% (#50) is Maryland's thinnest named exit share in FY2022. Maryland held 3,609 children in foster care on September 30, FY2022 and is among the lowest reunification rates nationally (#47 of 51) at 35.3%, with a F four-measure profile grade that is not an overall quality verdict.
- #47
- reunification rank of 51 jurisdictions
- 35.3%
- FY2022 reunification rate
- #50
- adoption rank nationally
- 24.0 mo
- median length of stay
Maryland sits in the lower third of the FY2022 reunification distribution (35.3% of exits, #47 of 51). Median stay is long-tail at 24.0 months among exits. Profile grade F 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
26% 2nd percentile lower than 2% 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 MD · Maryland F · #47 reunif
3,609 in care · 1,725 exits · FY2022
- REUN 35.3%
- ADOPT 14.0%
- AGE 25.7%
- LOS 24.0 mo
- RANK #47/51
- GRADE F
- CARE 3,609
- EXITS 1,725
- PHOTO Louisiana
- BOOK FY2022 TAR
Nearest caseload peer: Louisiana (73 children vs Maryland)
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
220 252
Rose by 32 (+14.5%) across the FY2021–FY2022 pair.
-
Children exiting care
1,858 1,725
Fell by 133 (−7.2%) across the FY2021–FY2022 pair.
-
Parental rights terminations
72 68
Fell by 4 (−5.6%) across the FY2021–FY2022 pair.
-
Children waiting for adoption
354 372
Rose by 18 (+5.1%) across the FY2021–FY2022 pair.
How Maryland's 1,725 FY2022 exits break down
Counts rounded from each published exit-share × 1,725 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 Maryland'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.
Maryland 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 Maryland, nearest by metric distance rather than reunification-rank standings.
Similar median length of stay
Nearest jurisdictions by median months in care (24.0 mo here).
Similar adoption share of exits
Jurisdictions with a comparable adoption exit share (14.0% here).
Kinship-led placement mix in Maryland
Caseload is sparse-system scale: 3,609 children in care on September 30 (#34 nationally). Lead setting: relative/kinship care at 41.3%.
Maryland children returned to a parent or primary caregiver
Children exiting foster care via adoption in Maryland
Youth exiting foster care at age 18+ without permanency
Maryland's decade caseload trail (sparse-system AFCARS counts)
Signature read: adoption at 14.0% (#50) is Maryland's thinnest named exit share in FY2022. AFCARS count series from FY2013 to FY2022 for Maryland.
| Metric | FY2013 | FY2015 | FY2017 | FY2019 | FY2021 | FY2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Children Served | 7,061 | 6,045 | 6,119 | 5,789 | 5,491 | 5,334 |
| In Care (Sep 30) | 4,467 | 3,914 | 3,923 | 3,816 | 3,635 | 3,609 |
| Entered Care | 2,302 | 2,114 | 2,366 | 1,931 | 1,538 | 1,541 |
| Exited Care | 2,594 | 2,131 | 2,196 | 1,973 | 1,858 | 1,725 |
| Waiting Adoption | 498 | 508 | 481 | 371 | 354 | 372 |
| Adopted | 355 | 294 | 348 | 293 | 220 | 252 |
Maryland FAQ - reunification-light jurisdiction
Signature read: adoption at 14.0% (#50) is Maryland's thinnest named exit share in FY2022. Median stay is long-tail at 24.0 months among exits.
How many children are in foster care in Maryland?
3,609 children were in foster care on September 30, 2022, in the FY2022 AFCARS state table.
What is Maryland's foster care grade?
F. This profile grade equally combines within-release percentiles for reunification, adoption, aging out, and median length of stay.
What is the adoption rate in Maryland?
14.0%, ranked #50 of 51 states.
How does Maryland compare to other states on aging out?
25.7% of youth age out without permanency, 16.5 points above the national rate. That is a lower rate than 2% of the 51 reporting states in FY2022 AFCARS.
Read our methodology - how Maryland's FY2022 AFCARS row is sourced, computed, and verified.
U.S. Children's Bureau AFCARS FY2022 jurisdiction report for Maryland (MD). ACF Trends in Foster Care and Adoption workbooks FY2013-FY2022; adoption share of exits stamp 14.0%.
Source: U.S. Children's Bureau (Administration for Children and Families) AFCARS workbooks and jurisdiction reports · FY2022 Maryland rates are exits shares from the jurisdiction report; in-care counts are the September 30 stock. Caseload is sparse-system scale: 3,609 children in care on September 30 (#34 nationally).