Montana Foster Care Data
Montana ranks #10 of 51 jurisdictions for reunification: 52.0% of FY2022 exits returned to a parent or primary caregiver, 6.8 points above the national rate.
- C
- Four-measure profile grade
- 2,672
- #38 caseload nationally
- 52.0%
- Reunification (#10)
- 20.4%
- Adoption (#41)
The verdict
Signature read: Montana's 52.0% reunification share is among the highest in the FY2022 corpus (#10). Montana held 2,672 children in foster care on September 30, FY2022 and sits in the top quarter nationally for reunification (#10 of 51) at 52.0%, with a C four-measure profile grade that is not an overall quality verdict.
- #10
- reunification rank of 51 jurisdictions
- 52.0%
- FY2022 reunification rate
- #41
- adoption rank nationally
- 18.0 mo
- median length of stay
Montana sits in the upper third of the FY2022 AFCARS reunification distribution (52.0% of exits, #10 of 51). Caseload is sparse-system scale: 2,672 children in care on September 30 (#38 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
5% Among the lowest aging-out rates lower than 75% 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 MT · Montana C · #10 reunif
2,672 in care · 1,764 exits · FY2022
- REUN 52.0%
- ADOPT 20.4%
- AGE 5.4%
- LOS 18.0 mo
- RANK #10/51
- GRADE C
- CARE 2,672
- EXITS 1,764
- PHOTO Alaska
- BOOK FY2022 TAR
Nearest caseload peer: Alaska (18 children vs Montana)
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.
-
Parental rights terminations
465 345
Fell by 120 (−25.8%) across the FY2021–FY2022 pair.
-
Children waiting for adoption
680 553
Fell by 127 (−18.7%) across the FY2021–FY2022 pair.
-
Children entering care
1,697 1,398
Fell by 299 (−17.6%) across the FY2021–FY2022 pair.
-
Children in care on September 30
3,083 2,672
Fell by 411 (−13.3%) across the FY2021–FY2022 pair.
How Montana's 1,764 FY2022 exits break down
Counts rounded from each published exit-share × 1,764 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 Montana'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.
Montana exit routes
Reunification vs national
Same reunification rate as the bar chart; tick marks the national AFCARS rate as context only.
Nationwide peers with similar stay length or adoption share
Two AFCARS peer sets for Montana, nearest by metric distance rather than reunification-rank standings.
Similar median length of stay
Nearest jurisdictions by median months in care (18.0 mo here).
Similar adoption share of exits
Jurisdictions with a comparable adoption exit share (20.4% here).
Kinship-led placement mix in Montana
Caseload is sparse-system scale: 2,672 children in care on September 30 (#38 nationally). Lead setting: relative/kinship care at 40.1%.
Montana children returned to a parent or primary caregiver
Children exiting foster care via adoption in Montana
Youth exiting foster care at age 18+ without permanency
Montana's decade caseload trail (sparse-system AFCARS counts)
Signature read: Montana's 52.0% reunification share is among the highest in the FY2022 corpus (#10). AFCARS count series from FY2013 to FY2022 for Montana.
| Metric | FY2013 | FY2015 | FY2017 | FY2019 | FY2021 | FY2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Children Served | 3,397 | 4,232 | 5,682 | 6,050 | 5,036 | 4,434 |
| In Care (Sep 30) | 2,232 | 2,807 | 3,853 | 3,697 | 3,083 | 2,672 |
| Entered Care | 1,434 | 1,940 | 2,361 | 2,178 | 1,697 | 1,398 |
| Exited Care | 1,165 | 1,425 | 1,829 | 2,353 | 1,954 | 1,764 |
| Waiting Adoption | 498 | 580 | 831 | 1,018 | 680 | 553 |
| Adopted | 165 | 310 | 274 | 482 | 313 | 340 |
Montana FAQ - reunification-heavy jurisdiction
Signature read: Montana's 52.0% reunification share is among the highest in the FY2022 corpus (#10). Median stay is mid-band at 18.0 months among exits.
How many children are in foster care in Montana?
2,672 children were in foster care on September 30, 2022, in the FY2022 AFCARS state table.
What is Montana's foster care grade?
C. PlainFoster averages four FY2022 measure percentiles and assigns the displayed band from that composite.
What is the adoption rate in Montana?
#41 of 51 states, at 20.4%.
How does Montana compare to other states on aging out?
5.4% of youth age out without permanency, 3.8 points below the national rate. That is a lower rate than 75% of the 51 reporting states in FY2022 AFCARS.
Read our methodology - how Montana's FY2022 AFCARS row is sourced, computed, and verified.
U.S. Children's Bureau AFCARS FY2022 jurisdiction report for Montana (MT). ACF Trends in Foster Care and Adoption workbooks FY2013-FY2022; reunification share of exits stamp 52.0%.
Source: U.S. Children's Bureau (Administration for Children and Families) AFCARS workbooks and jurisdiction reports · FY2022 Montana rates are exits shares from the jurisdiction report; in-care counts are the September 30 stock. Caseload is sparse-system scale: 2,672 children in care on September 30 (#38 nationally).