Pennsylvania Foster Care Data
Pennsylvania ranks #33 of 51 jurisdictions for reunification: 42.0% of FY2022 exits returned to a parent or primary caregiver, 3.2 points below the national rate.
- C
- Four-measure profile grade
- 12,465
- #8 caseload nationally
- 42.0%
- Reunification (#33)
- 28.5%
- Adoption (#19)
The verdict
Signature read: the September 30 stock (12,465 children, #8) is Pennsylvania's most extreme scale stamp. Pennsylvania held 12,465 children in foster care on September 30, FY2022 and trails most jurisdictions on reunification (#33 of 51) at 42.0%, with a C four-measure profile grade that is not an overall quality verdict.
- #33
- reunification rank of 51 jurisdictions
- 42.0%
- FY2022 reunification rate
- #19
- adoption rank nationally
- 17.3 mo
- median length of stay
Pennsylvania's reunification share (42.0%) lands in the middle third of the FY2022 jurisdiction table (#33 of 51). Caseload is large-system scale: 12,465 children in care on September 30 (#8 nationally). Median stay is mid-band at 17.3 months among exits. Grade C is a within-release composite, not an official assessment.
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
9% 41st percentile lower than 41% 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 PA · Pennsylvania C · #33 reunif
12,465 in care · 7,617 exits · FY2022
- REUN 42.0%
- ADOPT 28.5%
- AGE 9.0%
- LOS 17.3 mo
- RANK #33/51
- GRADE C
- CARE 12,465
- EXITS 7,617
- PHOTO Missouri
- BOOK FY2022 TAR
Nearest caseload peer: Missouri (49 children vs Pennsylvania)
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 in care on September 30
13,654 12,465
Fell by 1,189 (−8.7%) across the FY2021–FY2022 pair.
-
Children served
21,456 20,082
Fell by 1,374 (−6.4%) across the FY2021–FY2022 pair.
-
Children entering care
7,434 6,961
Fell by 473 (−6.4%) across the FY2021–FY2022 pair.
-
Children waiting for adoption
3,051 2,975
Fell by 76 (−2.5%) across the FY2021–FY2022 pair.
How Pennsylvania's 7,617 FY2022 exits break down
Counts rounded from each published exit-share × 7,617 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 Pennsylvania's mid-band FY2022 exit mix
Named exit shares for this jurisdiction beside reunification vs the national rate. Competing shares of one exits denominator, not a scorecard.
Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania, nearest by metric distance rather than reunification-rank standings.
Similar median length of stay
Nearest jurisdictions by median months in care (17.3 mo here).
Similar adoption share of exits
Jurisdictions with a comparable adoption exit share (28.5% here).
Kinship-led placement mix in Pennsylvania
Caseload is large-system scale: 12,465 children in care on September 30 (#8 nationally). Lead setting: relative/kinship care at 41.2%.
Pennsylvania children returned to a parent or primary caregiver
Children exiting foster care via adoption in Pennsylvania
Youth exiting foster care at age 18+ without permanency
Pennsylvania's decade caseload trail (large-system AFCARS counts)
Signature read: the September 30 stock (12,465 children, #8) is Pennsylvania's most extreme scale stamp. AFCARS count series from FY2013 to FY2022 for Pennsylvania.
| Metric | FY2013 | FY2015 | FY2017 | FY2019 | FY2021 | FY2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Children Served | 22,955 | 25,388 | 26,552 | 25,584 | 21,456 | 20,082 |
| In Care (Sep 30) | 14,270 | 16,081 | 16,891 | 15,526 | 13,654 | 12,465 |
| Entered Care | 9,788 | 11,290 | 10,998 | 9,528 | 7,434 | 6,961 |
| Exited Care | 8,686 | 9,307 | 9,661 | 10,058 | 7,803 | 7,617 |
| Waiting Adoption | 1,909 | 2,425 | 3,711 | 3,411 | 3,051 | 2,975 |
| Adopted | 1,892 | 1,832 | 2,077 | 2,849 | 2,214 | 2,184 |
Pennsylvania FAQ - mid-band jurisdiction
Signature read: the September 30 stock (12,465 children, #8) is Pennsylvania's most extreme scale stamp. Median stay is mid-band at 17.3 months among exits.
How many children are in foster care in Pennsylvania?
12,465 children were in foster care on September 30, 2022, in the FY2022 AFCARS state table.
What is Pennsylvania's foster care grade?
C. This profile grade equally combines within-release percentiles for reunification, adoption, aging out, and median length of stay.
What is the adoption rate in Pennsylvania?
28.5%, ranked #19 of 51 states.
How does Pennsylvania compare to other states on aging out?
9.0% of youth age out without permanency, 0.2 points below the national rate. That is a lower rate than 41% of the 51 reporting states in FY2022 AFCARS.
Read our methodology - how Pennsylvania's FY2022 AFCARS row is sourced, computed, and verified.
U.S. Children's Bureau AFCARS FY2022 jurisdiction report for Pennsylvania (PA). ACF Trends in Foster Care and Adoption workbooks FY2013-FY2022; September 30 caseload stamp 12,465.
Source: U.S. Children's Bureau (Administration for Children and Families) AFCARS workbooks and jurisdiction reports · FY2022 Pennsylvania rates are exits shares from the jurisdiction report; in-care counts are the September 30 stock. Caseload is large-system scale: 12,465 children in care on September 30 (#8 nationally).