FY2022 AFCARS 51 jurisdictions ACF source tables

Mississippi Foster Care Data

Mississippi ranks #28 of 51 jurisdictions for reunification: 44.1% of FY2022 exits returned to a parent or primary caregiver, 1.1 points below the national rate.

Compare all states Read the source method
B
Four-measure profile grade
3,825
#31 caseload nationally
44.1%
Reunification (#28)
29.5%
Adoption (#16)

The verdict

Signature read: adoption at 29.5% (#16) is Mississippi's most extreme exit share in FY2022. Mississippi held 3,825 children in foster care on September 30, FY2022 and trails most jurisdictions on reunification (#28 of 51) at 44.1%, with a B four-measure profile grade that is not an overall quality verdict.

#28
reunification rank of 51 jurisdictions
44.1%
FY2022 reunification rate
#16
adoption rank nationally
17.5 mo
median length of stay

Mississippi's reunification share (44.1%) lands in the middle third of the FY2022 jurisdiction table (#28 of 51). Caseload is mid-pack: 3,825 children in care on September 30 (#31 nationally). Median stay is mid-band at 17.5 months among exits. Grade B is a within-release composite, not an official assessment.

B
Four-Measure Profile Score
64/100
Mississippi

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.

Reunification C
44.1%
Share of FY exits to a parent or primary caretaker (AFCARS); 46th percentile among 51 jurisdictions
Adoption B
29.5%
Share of FY exits finalized as adoptions (AFCARS); 70th percentile among 51 jurisdictions
Aging Out A
3.2%
Share of youth exiting without permanency at majority (AFCARS); 92nd percentile among 51 jurisdictions
Length of Stay C
17.5 mo
Median months in care among FY exits (AFCARS); 49th percentile among 51 jurisdictions

Aging out of foster care vs. every US state

FY2022 AFCARS: youth who exit care at majority without a permanent family

3% Among the lowest aging-out rates lower than 90% of 51 US states

0%–3%: 3 US states (6%). Below this entry. 3%–6%: 12 US states (24%). This entry sits in this band. 6%–9%: 13 US states (25%). Above this entry. 9%–12%: 12 US states (24%). Above this entry. 12%–15%: 5 US states (10%). Above this entry. 15%–18%: 1 US states (2%). Above this entry. 18%–21%: 3 US states (6%). Above this entry. 21%–24%: 0 US states (0%). Above this entry. 24%–27%: 2 US states (4%). Above this entry. Mississippi 0% 27% every reporting state, bucketed by value

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 MS · Mississippi B · #28 reunif

3,825 in care · 1,990 exits · FY2022

  • REUN 44.1%
  • ADOPT 29.5%
  • AGE 3.2%
  • LOS 17.5 mo
  • RANK #28/51
  • GRADE B
  • CARE 3,825
  • EXITS 1,990
  • PHOTO South Carolina
  • BOOK FY2022 TAR

Nearest caseload peer: South Carolina (32 children vs Mississippi)

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

Arizona47.2%West Virg…47.1%Iowa45.9%Maine44.8%Missouri44.8%Mississip…44.1%
FY2022 reunification rate among Mississippi and reunification-rank peers.

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

    457 530

    Rose by 73 (+16.0%) across the FY2021–FY2022 pair.

  • Children in care on September 30

    3,540 3,825

    Rose by 285 (+8.1%) across the FY2021–FY2022 pair.

  • Children adopted

    566 604

    Rose by 38 (+6.7%) across the FY2021–FY2022 pair.

  • Children entering care

    2,029 2,150

    Rose by 121 (+6.0%) across the FY2021–FY2022 pair.

How Mississippi's 1,990 FY2022 exits break down

Counts rounded from each published exit-share × 1,990 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 Mississippi's mid-band FY2022 exit mix

Named exit shares for this jurisdiction beside reunification vs the national rate. Competing shares of one exits denominator, not a scorecard.

Mississippi exit routes

Reunification44.1%Adoption29.5%Aging out3.2%
Share of FY2022 exits (ACF AFCARS jurisdiction row).

Reunification vs national

Same reunification rate as the bar chart; tick marks the national AFCARS rate as context only.

0%60%National45%44.1%
44.1% · rank #28 · FY2022
3,0004,0005,0006,000 20132022 3,779 3,825 ▲ +1.2%
AFCARS Trends · Mississippi children in care on Sep 30, years present in this extract.

Nationwide peers with similar stay length or adoption share

Two AFCARS peer sets for Mississippi, nearest by metric distance rather than reunification-rank standings.

Similar median length of stay

Nearest jurisdictions by median months in care (17.5 mo here).

New Hampshire 17.5 mo Texas 17.6 mo Wisconsin 17.6 mo Pennsylvania 17.3 mo

Similar adoption share of exits

Jurisdictions with a comparable adoption exit share (29.5% here).

Kansas 29.5% Vermont 29.5% Arkansas 29.6% Illinois 28.8%

Foster-family placement mix in Mississippi

Caseload is mid-pack: 3,825 children in care on September 30 (#31 nationally). Lead setting: foster family home at 44.2%.

Foster Family Home 44.2%
Relative/Kinship Care 33.2%
Group Home or Institution 11.0%
Reunification rate 44.1%
National rate

Mississippi children returned to a parent or primary caregiver

Adoption rate 29.5%
National rate

Children exiting foster care via adoption in Mississippi

Aging-out rate 3.2%
National rate

Youth exiting foster care at age 18+ without permanency

Mississippi's decade caseload trail (mid-pack AFCARS counts)

Signature read: adoption at 29.5% (#16) is Mississippi's most extreme exit share in FY2022. AFCARS count series from FY2013 to FY2022 for Mississippi.

Metric FY2013 FY2015 FY2017 FY2019 FY2021 FY2022
Children Served 6,119 7,371 8,330 7,039 5,570 5,805
In Care (Sep 30) 3,779 4,773 5,440 4,161 3,540 3,825
Entered Care 2,509 3,082 3,195 2,396 2,029 2,150
Exited Care 2,340 2,598 2,890 2,898 2,040 1,990
Waiting Adoption 1,000 1,437 1,867 1,610 1,139 1,154
Adopted 352 312 358 719 566 604

Source: ACF AFCARS Trends - State Data Tables FY2013-FY2022.

Mississippi FAQ - mid-band jurisdiction

Signature read: adoption at 29.5% (#16) is Mississippi's most extreme exit share in FY2022. Median stay is mid-band at 17.5 months among exits.

How many children are in foster care in Mississippi?

3,825 children were in foster care on September 30, 2022, in the FY2022 AFCARS state table.

What is Mississippi's foster care grade?

B. This profile grade equally combines within-release percentiles for reunification, adoption, aging out, and median length of stay.

What is the adoption rate in Mississippi?

29.5%, ranked #16 of 51 states.

How does Mississippi compare to other states on aging out?

3.2% of youth age out without permanency, 6.0 points below the national rate. That is a lower rate than 90% of the 51 reporting states in FY2022 AFCARS.

Read our methodology - how Mississippi's FY2022 AFCARS row is sourced, computed, and verified.

U.S. Children's Bureau AFCARS FY2022 jurisdiction report for Mississippi (MS). ACF Trends in Foster Care and Adoption workbooks FY2013-FY2022; adoption share of exits stamp 29.5%.

Source: U.S. Children's Bureau (Administration for Children and Families) AFCARS workbooks and jurisdiction reports · FY2022 Mississippi rates are exits shares from the jurisdiction report; in-care counts are the September 30 stock. Caseload is mid-pack: 3,825 children in care on September 30 (#31 nationally).