North Carolina Foster Care Data
FY2022 · ACF AFCARS Report · 8,756 children in care
50.2%
Reunification Rate
#26 nationally
26.6%
Adoption Rate
#23 nationally
7.9%
Aging Out Rate
18.6 mo
Median Length of Stay
3.7
Per 1,000 Children
Benchmarking North Carolina Against the Rest of the Country
North Carolina's FY2022 reunification rate of 50.2% runs narrowly 0.3 points below the national average, anchoring its B grade (#26 of 51). The state's 26.6% adoption rate comes in narrowly 1.0 points above the national figure.
States Ranked Near North Carolina
The closest peers to North Carolina's #26 reunification-rate rank.
Performance Metrics
Placement Types
Child Maltreatment, NCANDS 2022
Source: HHS National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System HHS National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System
98,480
Reports
14,234
Victims
6.0
Per 1,000 children
North Carolina children returned to a parent or primary caregiver
Children exiting foster care via adoption in North Carolina
Youth exiting foster care at age 18+ without permanency
Frequently Asked Questions
How many children are in foster care in North Carolina?
8,756 children as of FY2022 -- a per-capita rate of 3.7 per 1,000 children.
What is North Carolina's foster care grade?
B -- North Carolina placed #26 of 51 states on reunification rate, at 50.2%.
What is the adoption rate in North Carolina?
#23 of 51 states, at 26.6%.
How does North Carolina compare to other states on aging out?
7.9% of youth age out without permanency -- 0.3 points above the national rate.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Every figure on PlainFoster is rendered directly from federal source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on federal source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.