North Carolina Foster Care Data

What the FY2022 Data Says About North Carolina

In FY2022, North Carolina had 8,756 children in foster care on September 30, with 5,678 new entries and 5,342 exits during the fiscal year. The per-capita rate of 3.7 children in care per 1,000 children places North Carolina's overall caseload in context relative to its child population. The state received an overall PlainFoster grade of B, primarily driven by its reunification rate of 50.2% — a measure of how often children exit foster care back to their birth families. That rate ranks #26 among all states and the District of Columbia.

Beyond reunification, North Carolina's adoption rate stands at 26.6% (rank #23 nationally), while 7.9% of youth exit the system by aging out at 18 or older without achieving permanency. The median length of stay in care is 18.6 months, and placement stability — the share of children with two or fewer placement changes per year — is 71.6%. Placement composition shows 50.4% in foster family homes, 29.8% in kinship care with relatives, and 7.8% in group homes or institutional settings. Kinship placements tend to correlate with better long-term outcomes for children.

On the prevention side, the NCANDS 2022 data shows North Carolina recorded 98,480 maltreatment reports and 14,234 confirmed victims, a rate of 6.0 per 1,000 children. Re-entry rate (children returning to foster care within 12 months of exit) is 8.2%, and timely permanency — children achieving permanent placement within 12 months of entry — is 41.6%. These metrics together sketch a picture of both the front door (maltreatment reports, entries) and the back door (exits, permanency, re-entries) of North Carolina's child welfare system. This data comes from AFCARS and NCANDS, federal datasets reflecting state submissions; interpretations here are informational and should not replace consultation with child welfare professionals or state-specific case guidance.