Oklahoma Foster Care Data
Oklahoma ranks #34 of 51 jurisdictions for reunification: 41.1% of FY2022 exits returned to a parent or primary caregiver, 4.1 points below the national rate.
- C
- Four-measure profile grade
- 7,013
- #18 caseload nationally
- 41.1%
- Reunification (#34)
- 39.0%
- Adoption (#4)
The verdict
Signature read: adoption at 39.0% (#4) is Oklahoma's most extreme exit share in FY2022. Oklahoma held 7,013 children in foster care on September 30, FY2022 and trails most jurisdictions on reunification (#34 of 51) at 41.1%, with a C four-measure profile grade that is not an overall quality verdict.
- #34
- reunification rank of 51 jurisdictions
- 41.1%
- FY2022 reunification rate
- #4
- adoption rank nationally
- 20.9 mo
- median length of stay
Oklahoma sits in the lower third of the FY2022 reunification distribution (41.1% of exits, #34 of 51). Median stay is long-tail at 20.9 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 82% 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 OK · Oklahoma C · #34 reunif
7,013 in care · 3,970 exits · FY2022
- REUN 41.1%
- ADOPT 39.0%
- AGE 4.3%
- LOS 20.9 mo
- RANK #34/51
- GRADE C
- CARE 7,013
- EXITS 3,970
- PHOTO West Virginia
- BOOK FY2022 TAR
Nearest caseload peer: West Virginia (61 children vs Oklahoma)
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
1,494 1,629
Rose by 135 (+9.0%) across the FY2021–FY2022 pair.
-
Children waiting for adoption
3,712 3,393
Fell by 319 (−8.6%) across the FY2021–FY2022 pair.
-
Children in care on September 30
7,479 7,013
Fell by 466 (−6.2%) across the FY2021–FY2022 pair.
-
Children served
11,507 10,983
Fell by 524 (−4.6%) across the FY2021–FY2022 pair.
How Oklahoma's 3,970 FY2022 exits break down
Counts rounded from each published exit-share × 3,970 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 Oklahoma'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.
Oklahoma 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 long stays or matching adoption share
Two AFCARS peer sets for Oklahoma, nearest by metric distance rather than reunification-rank standings.
Similar median length of stay
Nearest jurisdictions by median months in care (20.9 mo here).
Similar adoption share of exits
Jurisdictions with a comparable adoption exit share (39.0% here).
Foster-family placement mix in Oklahoma
Caseload is mid-pack: 7,013 children in care on September 30 (#18 nationally). Lead setting: foster family home at 48.4%.
Oklahoma children returned to a parent or primary caregiver
Children exiting foster care via adoption in Oklahoma
Youth exiting foster care at age 18+ without permanency
Oklahoma's decade caseload trail (mid-pack AFCARS counts)
Signature read: adoption at 39.0% (#4) is Oklahoma's most extreme exit share in FY2022. AFCARS count series from FY2013 to FY2022 for Oklahoma.
| Metric | FY2013 | FY2015 | FY2017 | FY2019 | FY2021 | FY2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Children Served | 15,077 | 16,841 | 15,139 | 13,113 | 11,507 | 10,983 |
| In Care (Sep 30) | 10,535 | 11,163 | 9,315 | 8,311 | 7,479 | 7,013 |
| Entered Care | 6,033 | 5,458 | 5,128 | 4,529 | 3,472 | 3,509 |
| Exited Care | 4,542 | 5,678 | 5,824 | 4,802 | 4,028 | 3,970 |
| Waiting Adoption | 3,238 | 4,288 | 4,075 | 3,787 | 3,712 | 3,393 |
| Adopted | 1,286 | 2,159 | 2,593 | 2,086 | 1,494 | 1,629 |
Oklahoma FAQ - reunification-light jurisdiction
Signature read: adoption at 39.0% (#4) is Oklahoma's most extreme exit share in FY2022. Median stay is long-tail at 20.9 months among exits.
How many children are in foster care in Oklahoma?
7,013 children were in foster care on September 30, 2022, in the FY2022 AFCARS state table.
What is Oklahoma'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 Oklahoma?
#4 of 51 states, at 39.0%.
How does Oklahoma compare to other states on aging out?
4.3% of youth age out without permanency, 4.9 points below the national rate. That is a lower rate than 82% of the 51 reporting states in FY2022 AFCARS.
Read our methodology - how Oklahoma's FY2022 AFCARS row is sourced, computed, and verified.
U.S. Children's Bureau AFCARS FY2022 jurisdiction report for Oklahoma (OK). ACF Trends in Foster Care and Adoption workbooks FY2013-FY2022; adoption share of exits stamp 39.0%.
Source: U.S. Children's Bureau (Administration for Children and Families) AFCARS workbooks and jurisdiction reports · FY2022 Oklahoma rates are exits shares from the jurisdiction report; in-care counts are the September 30 stock. Caseload is mid-pack: 7,013 children in care on September 30 (#18 nationally).