New Mexico Foster Care Data
New Mexico ranks #8 of 51 jurisdictions for reunification: 53.2% of FY2022 exits returned to a parent or primary caregiver, 8.0 points above the national rate.
- B
- Four-measure profile grade
- 1,800
- #41 caseload nationally
- 53.2%
- Reunification (#8)
- 24.0%
- Adoption (#32)
The verdict
Signature read: New Mexico's 53.2% reunification share is among the highest in the FY2022 corpus (#8). New Mexico held 1,800 children in foster care on September 30, FY2022 and sits in the top quarter nationally for reunification (#8 of 51) at 53.2%, with a B four-measure profile grade that is not an overall quality verdict.
- #8
- reunification rank of 51 jurisdictions
- 53.2%
- FY2022 reunification rate
- #32
- adoption rank nationally
- 15.5 mo
- median length of stay
New Mexico sits in the upper third of the FY2022 AFCARS reunification distribution (53.2% of exits, #8 of 51). Caseload is sparse-system scale: 1,800 children in care on September 30 (#41 nationally). Profile grade B 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
6% Among the lowest aging-out rates lower than 71% 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 NM · New Mexico B · #8 reunif
1,800 in care · 950 exits · FY2022
- REUN 53.2%
- ADOPT 24.0%
- AGE 5.6%
- LOS 15.5 mo
- RANK #8/51
- GRADE B
- CARE 1,800
- EXITS 950
- PHOTO Rhode Island
- BOOK FY2022 TAR
Nearest caseload peer: Rhode Island (77 children vs New Mexico)
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
319 203
Fell by 116 (−36.4%) across the FY2021–FY2022 pair.
-
Children exiting care
1,188 950
Fell by 238 (−20.0%) across the FY2021–FY2022 pair.
-
Children waiting for adoption
785 704
Fell by 81 (−10.3%) across the FY2021–FY2022 pair.
-
Children served
3,027 2,748
Fell by 279 (−9.2%) across the FY2021–FY2022 pair.
How New Mexico's 950 FY2022 exits break down
Counts rounded from each published exit-share × 950 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 New Mexico'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.
New Mexico 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 short stays or matching adoption share
Two AFCARS peer sets for New Mexico, nearest by metric distance rather than reunification-rank standings.
Similar median length of stay
Nearest jurisdictions by median months in care (15.5 mo here).
Similar adoption share of exits
Jurisdictions with a comparable adoption exit share (24.0% here).
Foster-family placement mix in New Mexico
Caseload is sparse-system scale: 1,800 children in care on September 30 (#41 nationally). Lead setting: foster family home at 47.7%.
New Mexico children returned to a parent or primary caregiver
Children exiting foster care via adoption in New Mexico
Youth exiting foster care at age 18+ without permanency
New Mexico's decade caseload trail (sparse-system AFCARS counts)
Signature read: New Mexico's 53.2% reunification share is among the highest in the FY2022 corpus (#8). AFCARS count series from FY2013 to FY2022 for New Mexico.
| Metric | FY2013 | FY2015 | FY2017 | FY2019 | FY2021 | FY2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Children Served | 3,746 | 4,126 | 4,479 | 3,933 | 3,027 | 2,748 |
| In Care (Sep 30) | 2,077 | 2,471 | 2,657 | 2,326 | 1,841 | 1,800 |
| Entered Care | 1,858 | 1,795 | 1,902 | 1,447 | 929 | 927 |
| Exited Care | 1,669 | 1,655 | 1,824 | 1,609 | 1,188 | 950 |
| Waiting Adoption | 880 | 1,134 | 1,424 | 1,194 | 785 | 704 |
| Adopted | 310 | 295 | 311 | 336 | 319 | 203 |
New Mexico FAQ - reunification-heavy jurisdiction
Signature read: New Mexico's 53.2% reunification share is among the highest in the FY2022 corpus (#8). Median stay is short-tail at 15.5 months among exits.
How many children are in foster care in New Mexico?
1,800 children were in foster care on September 30, 2022, in the FY2022 AFCARS state table.
What is New Mexico'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 New Mexico?
24.0%, ranked #32 of 51 states.
How does New Mexico compare to other states on aging out?
5.6% of youth age out without permanency, 3.6 points below the national rate. That is a lower rate than 71% of the 51 reporting states in FY2022 AFCARS.
Read our methodology - how New Mexico's FY2022 AFCARS row is sourced, computed, and verified.
U.S. Children's Bureau AFCARS FY2022 jurisdiction report for New Mexico (NM). ACF Trends in Foster Care and Adoption workbooks FY2013-FY2022; reunification share of exits stamp 53.2%.
Source: U.S. Children's Bureau (Administration for Children and Families) AFCARS workbooks and jurisdiction reports · FY2022 New Mexico rates are exits shares from the jurisdiction report; in-care counts are the September 30 stock. Caseload is sparse-system scale: 1,800 children in care on September 30 (#41 nationally).