FY2022 AFCARS 51 jurisdictions ACF source tables

Texas Foster Care Data

Texas ranks #36 of 51 jurisdictions for reunification: 40.4% of FY2022 exits returned to a parent or primary caregiver, 4.8 points below the national rate.

Compare all states Read the source method
C
Four-measure profile grade
21,358
#3 caseload nationally
40.4%
Reunification (#36)
27.6%
Adoption (#20)

The verdict

Signature read: the September 30 stock (21,358 children, #3) is Texas's most extreme scale stamp. Texas held 21,358 children in foster care on September 30, FY2022 and trails most jurisdictions on reunification (#36 of 51) at 40.4%, with a C four-measure profile grade that is not an overall quality verdict.

#36
reunification rank of 51 jurisdictions
40.4%
FY2022 reunification rate
#20
adoption rank nationally
17.6 mo
median length of stay

Texas sits in the lower third of the FY2022 reunification distribution (40.4% of exits, #36 of 51). Median stay is mid-band at 17.6 months among exits. Profile grade C averages four within-release percentiles; it is not a federal quality verdict.

C
Four-Measure Profile Score
50/100
Texas

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.

Reunification D
40.4%
Share of FY exits to a parent or primary caretaker (AFCARS); 29th percentile among 51 jurisdictions
Adoption B
27.6%
Share of FY exits finalized as adoptions (AFCARS); 62nd percentile among 51 jurisdictions
Aging Out B
6.5%
Share of youth exiting without permanency at majority (AFCARS); 65th percentile among 51 jurisdictions
Length of Stay C
17.6 mo
Median months in care among FY exits (AFCARS); 45th percentile among 51 jurisdictions

Aging out of foster care vs. every US state

FY2022 AFCARS: youth who exit care at majority without a permanent family

7% Among the lowest aging-out rates lower than 63% of 51 US states

0%–3%: 3 US states (6%). Below this entry. 3%–6%: 12 US states (24%). Below this entry. 6%–9%: 13 US states (25%). This entry sits in this band. 9%–12%: 12 US states (24%). Above this entry. 12%–15%: 5 US states (10%). Above this entry. 15%–18%: 1 US states (2%). Above this entry. 18%–21%: 3 US states (6%). Above this entry. 21%–24%: 0 US states (0%). Above this entry. 24%–27%: 2 US states (4%). Above this entry. Texas 0% 27% every reporting state, bucketed by value

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 TX · Texas C · #36 reunif

21,358 in care · 16,067 exits · FY2022

  • REUN 40.4%
  • ADOPT 27.6%
  • AGE 6.5%
  • LOS 17.6 mo
  • RANK #36/51
  • GRADE C
  • CARE 21,358
  • EXITS 16,067
  • PHOTO Illinois
  • BOOK FY2022 TAR

Nearest caseload peer: Illinois (615 children vs Texas)

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

Tennessee43.1%Florida42.5%Pennsylva…42%Oklahoma41.1%New Jersey40.5%Texas40.4%
FY2022 reunification rate among Texas and reunification-rank peers.

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 entering care

    15,127 9,486

    Fell by 5,641 (−37.3%) across the FY2021–FY2022 pair.

  • Children in care on September 30

    28,042 21,358

    Fell by 6,684 (−23.8%) across the FY2021–FY2022 pair.

  • Children served

    44,929 37,425

    Fell by 7,504 (−16.7%) across the FY2021–FY2022 pair.

  • Children waiting for adoption

    11,639 10,232

    Fell by 1,407 (−12.1%) across the FY2021–FY2022 pair.

How Texas's 16,067 FY2022 exits break down

Counts rounded from each published exit-share × 16,067 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 Texas'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.

Texas exit routes

Reunification40.4%Adoption27.6%Aging out6.5%
Share of FY2022 exits (ACF AFCARS jurisdiction row).

Reunification vs national

Same reunification rate as the bar chart; tick marks the national AFCARS rate as context only.

0%60%National45%40.4%
40.4% · rank #36 · FY2022
20,00025,00030,00035,000 20132022 29,625 21,358 ▼ -27.9%
AFCARS Trends · Texas children in care on Sep 30, years present in this extract.

Nationwide peers with similar stay length or adoption share

Two AFCARS peer sets for Texas, nearest by metric distance rather than reunification-rank standings.

Similar median length of stay

Nearest jurisdictions by median months in care (17.6 mo here).

Wisconsin 17.6 mo New Hampshire 17.5 mo Mississippi 17.5 mo Nebraska 17.8 mo

Similar adoption share of exits

Jurisdictions with a comparable adoption exit share (27.6% here).

Rhode Island 26.9% Nevada 26.9% Pennsylvania 28.5% North Carolina 26.6%

Scale composition for Texas

Texas held 21,358 children in foster care on September 30, 2022 (5.80% of the 368,530 children counted across all AFCARS jurisdictions in the national rollup) . Only 4 jurisdictions clear the 15,000-in-care threshold used here, sparse states under 1,000 cannot show a national-share read of this kind because their headcount is too small for the percentage to mean anything. Within that mega cohort, Texas ranks #3 of 4 by in-care count (cohort median 22,493; 95% of the mega median).

FY2022 flow was 9,486 entries (5.08% of 186,602 national entries) and 16,067 exits (7.98% of 201,372 national exits) - a net decrease of 6,581 children over the fiscal year . At this caseload the entry/exit arithmetic is a system-throughput signal, not a single-county anecdote, comparing it to a sparse state whose entire census fits inside one metro district misreads both ends.

Placement mix is led by foster family home at 47.3% , with relative/kinship care next at 31.0% ; group/institutional settings account for 11.9% . Large systems carry multi-region provider networks and specialized congregate contracts that a sub-1,000-child jurisdiction rarely needs at the same scale, reading the percentage stack without that caseload note flattens an operational difference the raw rates alone do not show.

Nearest mega-caseload peers by children in care (same 15k+ cohort):

#StateIn careGrade
2Florida22,493B
4Illinois20,743C

Foster-family placement mix in Texas

Caseload is large-system scale: 21,358 children in care on September 30 (#3 nationally). Lead setting: foster family home at 47.3%.

Foster Family Home 47.3%
Relative/Kinship Care 31.0%
Group Home or Institution 11.9%
Reunification rate 40.4%
National rate

Texas children returned to a parent or primary caregiver

Adoption rate 27.6%
National rate

Children exiting foster care via adoption in Texas

Aging-out rate 6.5%
National rate

Youth exiting foster care at age 18+ without permanency

Texas's decade caseload trail (large-system AFCARS counts)

Signature read: the September 30 stock (21,358 children, #3) is Texas's most extreme scale stamp. AFCARS count series from FY2013 to FY2022 for Texas.

Metric FY2013 FY2015 FY2017 FY2019 FY2021 FY2022
Children Served 46,286 47,492 50,331 51,097 44,929 37,425
In Care (Sep 30) 29,625 29,990 32,150 31,427 28,042 21,358
Entered Care 16,920 17,319 19,840 18,455 15,127 9,486
Exited Care 16,661 17,502 18,183 19,673 16,887 16,067
Waiting Adoption 12,991 12,643 13,443 12,932 11,639 10,232
Adopted 5,443 5,457 5,361 6,105 4,647 4,361

Source: ACF AFCARS Trends - State Data Tables FY2013-FY2022.

Texas FAQ - reunification-light jurisdiction

Signature read: the September 30 stock (21,358 children, #3) is Texas's most extreme scale stamp. Median stay is mid-band at 17.6 months among exits.

How many children are in foster care in Texas?

21,358 children were in foster care on September 30, 2022, in the FY2022 AFCARS state table.

What is Texas'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 Texas?

#20 of 51 states, at 27.6%.

How does Texas compare to other states on aging out?

6.5% of youth age out without permanency, 2.7 points below the national rate. That is a lower rate than 63% of the 51 reporting states in FY2022 AFCARS.

Read our methodology - how Texas's FY2022 AFCARS row is sourced, computed, and verified.

U.S. Children's Bureau AFCARS FY2022 jurisdiction report for Texas (TX). ACF Trends in Foster Care and Adoption workbooks FY2013-FY2022; September 30 caseload stamp 21,358.

Source: U.S. Children's Bureau (Administration for Children and Families) AFCARS workbooks and jurisdiction reports · FY2022 Texas rates are exits shares from the jurisdiction report; in-care counts are the September 30 stock. Caseload is large-system scale: 21,358 children in care on September 30 (#3 nationally).