North Carolina Foster Care Data
North Carolina ranks #38 of 51 jurisdictions for reunification: 40.3% of FY2022 exits returned to a parent or primary caregiver, 4.9 points below the national rate.
- C
- Four-measure profile grade
- 11,258
- #11 caseload nationally
- 40.3%
- Reunification (#38)
- 26.6%
- Adoption (#24)
The verdict
Signature read: the September 30 stock (11,258 children, #11) is North Carolina's most extreme scale stamp. North Carolina held 11,258 children in foster care on September 30, FY2022 and trails most jurisdictions on reunification (#38 of 51) at 40.3%, with a C four-measure profile grade that is not an overall quality verdict.
- #38
- reunification rank of 51 jurisdictions
- 40.3%
- FY2022 reunification rate
- #24
- adoption rank nationally
- 18.3 mo
- median length of stay
North Carolina sits in the lower third of the FY2022 reunification distribution (40.3% of exits, #38 of 51). Median stay is mid-band at 18.3 months among exits. 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
4% Among the lowest aging-out rates lower than 86% 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 NC · North Carolina C · #38 reunif
11,258 in care · 4,119 exits · FY2022
- REUN 40.3%
- ADOPT 26.6%
- AGE 4.0%
- LOS 18.3 mo
- RANK #38/51
- GRADE C
- CARE 11,258
- EXITS 4,119
- PHOTO Indiana
- BOOK FY2022 TAR
Nearest caseload peer: Indiana (199 children vs North Carolina)
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 waiting for adoption
2,946 2,690
Fell by 256 (−8.7%) across the FY2021–FY2022 pair.
-
Children entering care
5,522 5,124
Fell by 398 (−7.2%) across the FY2021–FY2022 pair.
-
Parental rights terminations
1,212 1,154
Fell by 58 (−4.8%) across the FY2021–FY2022 pair.
-
Children adopted
1,317 1,303
Fell by 14 (−1.1%) across the FY2021–FY2022 pair.
How North Carolina's 4,119 FY2022 exits break down
Counts rounded from each published exit-share × 4,119 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 North Carolina's reunification-light FY2022 exit mix
Named exit shares for this jurisdiction beside reunification vs the national rate. Competing shares of one exits denominator, not a scorecard.
North Carolina 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 North Carolina, nearest by metric distance rather than reunification-rank standings.
Similar median length of stay
Nearest jurisdictions by median months in care (18.3 mo here).
Similar adoption share of exits
Jurisdictions with a comparable adoption exit share (26.6% here).
Foster-family placement mix in North Carolina
Caseload is large-system scale: 11,258 children in care on September 30 (#11 nationally). Lead setting: foster family home at 54.1%.
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
North Carolina's decade caseload trail (large-system AFCARS counts)
Signature read: the September 30 stock (11,258 children, #11) is North Carolina's most extreme scale stamp. AFCARS count series from FY2013 to FY2022 for North Carolina.
| Metric | FY2013 | FY2015 | FY2017 | FY2019 | FY2021 | FY2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Children Served | 13,401 | 15,011 | 15,501 | 15,414 | 15,345 | 15,377 |
| In Care (Sep 30) | 9,036 | 10,324 | 10,756 | 10,896 | 11,238 | 11,258 |
| Entered Care | 5,300 | 5,597 | 5,830 | 5,334 | 5,522 | 5,124 |
| Exited Care | 4,365 | 4,687 | 4,745 | 4,518 | 4,107 | 4,119 |
| Waiting Adoption | 2,172 | 2,739 | 2,929 | 2,824 | 2,946 | 2,690 |
| Adopted | 1,222 | 1,311 | 1,528 | 1,546 | 1,317 | 1,303 |
North Carolina FAQ - reunification-light jurisdiction
Signature read: the September 30 stock (11,258 children, #11) is North Carolina's most extreme scale stamp. Median stay is mid-band at 18.3 months among exits.
How many children are in foster care in North Carolina?
11,258 children were in foster care on September 30, 2022, in the FY2022 AFCARS state table.
What is North Carolina'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 North Carolina?
#24 of 51 states, at 26.6%.
How does North Carolina compare to other states on aging out?
4.0% of youth age out without permanency, 5.2 points below the national rate. That is a lower rate than 86% of the 51 reporting states in FY2022 AFCARS.
Read our methodology - how North Carolina's FY2022 AFCARS row is sourced, computed, and verified.
U.S. Children's Bureau AFCARS FY2022 jurisdiction report for North Carolina (NC). ACF Trends in Foster Care and Adoption workbooks FY2013-FY2022; September 30 caseload stamp 11,258.
Source: U.S. Children's Bureau (Administration for Children and Families) AFCARS workbooks and jurisdiction reports · FY2022 North Carolina rates are exits shares from the jurisdiction report; in-care counts are the September 30 stock. Caseload is large-system scale: 11,258 children in care on September 30 (#11 nationally).