Michigan Foster Care Data
Michigan ranks #45 of 51 jurisdictions for reunification: 37.6% of FY2022 exits returned to a parent or primary caregiver, 7.6 points below the national rate.
- D
- Four-measure profile grade
- 8,940
- #14 caseload nationally
- 37.6%
- Reunification (#45)
- 39.3%
- Adoption (#2)
The verdict
Signature read: adoption at 39.3% (#2) is Michigan's most extreme exit share in FY2022. Michigan held 8,940 children in foster care on September 30, FY2022 and is among the lowest reunification rates nationally (#45 of 51) at 37.6%, with a D four-measure profile grade that is not an overall quality verdict.
- #45
- reunification rank of 51 jurisdictions
- 37.6%
- FY2022 reunification rate
- #2
- adoption rank nationally
- 25.5 mo
- median length of stay
Michigan sits in the lower third of the FY2022 reunification distribution (37.6% of exits, #45 of 51). Median stay is long-tail at 25.5 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
14% 14th percentile lower than 14% 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 MI · Michigan D · #45 reunif
8,940 in care · 4,242 exits · FY2022
- REUN 37.6%
- ADOPT 39.3%
- AGE 13.7%
- LOS 25.5 mo
- RANK #45/51
- GRADE D
- CARE 8,940
- EXITS 4,242
- PHOTO Tennessee
- BOOK FY2022 TAR
Nearest caseload peer: Tennessee (113 children vs Michigan)
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 exiting care
4,945 4,242
Fell by 703 (−14.2%) across the FY2021–FY2022 pair.
-
Children served
14,474 13,182
Fell by 1,292 (−8.9%) across the FY2021–FY2022 pair.
-
Children in care on September 30
9,529 8,940
Fell by 589 (−6.2%) across the FY2021–FY2022 pair.
-
Children entering care
3,837 3,625
Fell by 212 (−5.5%) across the FY2021–FY2022 pair.
How Michigan's 4,242 FY2022 exits break down
Counts rounded from each published exit-share × 4,242 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 Michigan'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.
Michigan 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 Michigan, nearest by metric distance rather than reunification-rank standings.
Similar median length of stay
Nearest jurisdictions by median months in care (25.5 mo here).
Similar adoption share of exits
Jurisdictions with a comparable adoption exit share (39.3% here).
Kinship-led placement mix in Michigan
Caseload is large-system scale: 8,940 children in care on September 30 (#14 nationally). Lead setting: relative/kinship care at 45.3%.
Michigan children returned to a parent or primary caregiver
Children exiting foster care via adoption in Michigan
Youth exiting foster care at age 18+ without permanency
Michigan's decade caseload trail (large-system AFCARS counts)
Signature read: adoption at 39.3% (#2) is Michigan's most extreme exit share in FY2022. AFCARS count series from FY2013 to FY2022 for Michigan.
| Metric | FY2013 | FY2015 | FY2017 | FY2019 | FY2021 | FY2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Children Served | 22,261 | 19,402 | 18,230 | 17,845 | 14,474 | 13,182 |
| In Care (Sep 30) | 14,615 | 11,977 | 11,918 | 11,676 | 9,529 | 8,940 |
| Entered Care | 7,716 | 6,217 | 6,854 | 5,770 | 3,837 | 3,625 |
| Exited Care | 7,646 | 7,427 | 6,312 | 6,169 | 4,945 | 4,242 |
| Waiting Adoption | 3,337 | 3,408 | 3,646 | 3,821 | 3,321 | 3,167 |
| Adopted | 2,374 | 1,772 | 1,970 | 2,161 | 1,689 | 1,654 |
Michigan FAQ - reunification-light jurisdiction
Signature read: adoption at 39.3% (#2) is Michigan's most extreme exit share in FY2022. Median stay is long-tail at 25.5 months among exits.
How many children are in foster care in Michigan?
8,940 children were in foster care on September 30, 2022, in the FY2022 AFCARS state table.
What is Michigan's foster care grade?
D. This profile grade equally combines within-release percentiles for reunification, adoption, aging out, and median length of stay.
What is the adoption rate in Michigan?
39.3%, ranked #2 of 51 states.
How does Michigan compare to other states on aging out?
13.7% of youth age out without permanency, 4.5 points above the national rate. That is a lower rate than 14% of the 51 reporting states in FY2022 AFCARS.
Read our methodology - how Michigan's FY2022 AFCARS row is sourced, computed, and verified.
U.S. Children's Bureau AFCARS FY2022 jurisdiction report for Michigan (MI). ACF Trends in Foster Care and Adoption workbooks FY2013-FY2022; adoption share of exits stamp 39.3%.
Source: U.S. Children's Bureau (Administration for Children and Families) AFCARS workbooks and jurisdiction reports · FY2022 Michigan rates are exits shares from the jurisdiction report; in-care counts are the September 30 stock. Caseload is large-system scale: 8,940 children in care on September 30 (#14 nationally).