Massachusetts Foster Care Data
Massachusetts ranks #5 of 51 jurisdictions for reunification: 56.0% of FY2022 exits returned to a parent or primary caregiver, 10.8 points above the national rate.
- D
- Four-measure profile grade
- 8,824
- #15 caseload nationally
- 56.0%
- Reunification (#5)
- 19.6%
- Adoption (#43)
The verdict
Signature read: Massachusetts's 56.0% reunification share is among the highest in the FY2022 corpus (#5). Massachusetts held 8,824 children in foster care on September 30, FY2022 and ranks #5 of 51 jurisdictions for reunification at 56.0%, with a D four-measure profile grade that is not an overall quality verdict.
- #5
- reunification rank of 51 jurisdictions
- 56.0%
- FY2022 reunification rate
- #43
- adoption rank nationally
- 20.2 mo
- median length of stay
Massachusetts sits in the upper third of the FY2022 AFCARS reunification distribution (56.0% of exits, #5 of 51). Caseload is large-system scale: 8,824 children in care on September 30 (#15 nationally). 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
16% 10th percentile lower than 10% 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 MA · Massachusetts D · #5 reunif
8,824 in care · 4,082 exits · FY2022
- REUN 56.0%
- ADOPT 19.6%
- AGE 15.9%
- LOS 20.2 mo
- RANK #5/51
- GRADE D
- CARE 8,824
- EXITS 4,082
- PHOTO Michigan
- BOOK FY2022 TAR
Nearest caseload peer: Michigan (116 children vs Massachusetts)
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 entering care
4,400 3,836
Fell by 564 (−12.8%) across the FY2021–FY2022 pair.
-
Children adopted
755 835
Rose by 80 (+10.6%) across the FY2021–FY2022 pair.
-
Children exiting care
4,404 4,082
Fell by 322 (−7.3%) across the FY2021–FY2022 pair.
-
Parental rights terminations
1,416 1,316
Fell by 100 (−7.1%) across the FY2021–FY2022 pair.
How Massachusetts's 4,082 FY2022 exits break down
Counts rounded from each published exit-share × 4,082 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 Massachusetts'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.
Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts, nearest by metric distance rather than reunification-rank standings.
Similar median length of stay
Nearest jurisdictions by median months in care (20.2 mo here).
Similar adoption share of exits
Jurisdictions with a comparable adoption exit share (19.6% here).
Foster-family placement mix in Massachusetts
Caseload is large-system scale: 8,824 children in care on September 30 (#15 nationally). Lead setting: foster family home at 37.8%.
Massachusetts children returned to a parent or primary caregiver
Children exiting foster care via adoption in Massachusetts
Youth exiting foster care at age 18+ without permanency
Massachusetts's decade caseload trail (large-system AFCARS counts)
Signature read: Massachusetts's 56.0% reunification share is among the highest in the FY2022 corpus (#5). AFCARS count series from FY2013 to FY2022 for Massachusetts.
| Metric | FY2013 | FY2015 | FY2017 | FY2019 | FY2021 | FY2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Children Served | 13,652 | 15,947 | 16,752 | 15,802 | 13,594 | 12,906 |
| In Care (Sep 30) | 8,537 | 10,278 | 10,916 | 9,862 | 9,190 | 8,824 |
| Entered Care | 5,425 | 6,250 | 6,103 | 5,420 | 4,400 | 3,836 |
| Exited Care | 5,115 | 5,669 | 5,836 | 5,940 | 4,404 | 4,082 |
| Waiting Adoption | 2,492 | 3,051 | 3,656 | 3,646 | 3,486 | 3,342 |
| Adopted | 799 | 623 | 657 | 998 | 755 | 835 |
Massachusetts FAQ - reunification-heavy jurisdiction
Signature read: Massachusetts's 56.0% reunification share is among the highest in the FY2022 corpus (#5). Median stay is long-tail at 20.2 months among exits.
How many children are in foster care in Massachusetts?
8,824 children were in foster care on September 30, 2022, in the FY2022 AFCARS state table.
What is Massachusetts'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 Massachusetts?
Massachusetts adopts out 19.6% of exits, #43 of 51 nationally.
How does Massachusetts compare to other states on aging out?
15.9% of youth age out without permanency, 6.7 points above the national rate. That is a lower rate than 10% of the 51 reporting states in FY2022 AFCARS.
Read our methodology - how Massachusetts's FY2022 AFCARS row is sourced, computed, and verified.
U.S. Children's Bureau AFCARS FY2022 jurisdiction report for Massachusetts (MA). ACF Trends in Foster Care and Adoption workbooks FY2013-FY2022; reunification share of exits stamp 56.0%.
Source: U.S. Children's Bureau (Administration for Children and Families) AFCARS workbooks and jurisdiction reports · FY2022 Massachusetts rates are exits shares from the jurisdiction report; in-care counts are the September 30 stock. Caseload is large-system scale: 8,824 children in care on September 30 (#15 nationally).