Utah Foster Care Data
Utah ranks #37 of 51 jurisdictions for reunification: 40.4% of FY2022 exits returned to a parent or primary caregiver, 4.8 points below the national rate.
- B
- Four-measure profile grade
- 2,067
- #40 caseload nationally
- 40.4%
- Reunification (#37)
- 35.1%
- Adoption (#7)
The verdict
Signature read: adoption at 35.1% (#7) is Utah's most extreme exit share in FY2022. Utah held 2,067 children in foster care on September 30, FY2022 and trails most jurisdictions on reunification (#37 of 51) at 40.4%, with a B four-measure profile grade that is not an overall quality verdict.
- #37
- reunification rank of 51 jurisdictions
- 40.4%
- FY2022 reunification rate
- #7
- adoption rank nationally
- 14.6 mo
- median length of stay
Utah sits in the lower third of the FY2022 reunification distribution (40.4% of exits, #37 of 51). Median stay is short-tail at 14.6 months among exits. Profile grade B 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
7% Among the lowest aging-out rates lower than 61% 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 UT · Utah B · #37 reunif
2,067 in care · 1,501 exits · FY2022
- REUN 40.4%
- ADOPT 35.1%
- AGE 6.6%
- LOS 14.6 mo
- RANK #37/51
- GRADE B
- CARE 2,067
- EXITS 1,501
- PHOTO New Mexico
- BOOK FY2022 TAR
Nearest caseload peer: New Mexico (267 children vs Utah)
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
698 585
Fell by 113 (−16.2%) across the FY2021–FY2022 pair.
-
Parental rights terminations
305 257
Fell by 48 (−15.7%) across the FY2021–FY2022 pair.
-
Children exiting care
1,751 1,501
Fell by 250 (−14.3%) across the FY2021–FY2022 pair.
-
Children served
3,870 3,568
Fell by 302 (−7.8%) across the FY2021–FY2022 pair.
How Utah's 1,501 FY2022 exits break down
Counts rounded from each published exit-share × 1,501 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 Utah'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.
Utah 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 short stays or matching adoption share
Two AFCARS peer sets for Utah, nearest by metric distance rather than reunification-rank standings.
Similar median length of stay
Nearest jurisdictions by median months in care (14.6 mo here).
Similar adoption share of exits
Jurisdictions with a comparable adoption exit share (35.1% here).
Foster-family placement mix in Utah
Caseload is sparse-system scale: 2,067 children in care on September 30 (#40 nationally). Lead setting: foster family home at 43.0%.
Utah children returned to a parent or primary caregiver
Children exiting foster care via adoption in Utah
Youth exiting foster care at age 18+ without permanency
Utah's decade caseload trail (sparse-system AFCARS counts)
Signature read: adoption at 35.1% (#7) is Utah's most extreme exit share in FY2022. AFCARS count series from FY2013 to FY2022 for Utah.
| Metric | FY2013 | FY2015 | FY2017 | FY2019 | FY2021 | FY2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Children Served | 4,881 | 5,110 | 5,062 | 4,572 | 3,870 | 3,568 |
| In Care (Sep 30) | 2,709 | 2,704 | 2,954 | 2,488 | 2,119 | 2,067 |
| Entered Care | 2,182 | 2,270 | 2,284 | 2,020 | 1,522 | 1,459 |
| Exited Care | 2,172 | 2,406 | 2,108 | 2,084 | 1,751 | 1,501 |
| Waiting Adoption | 612 | 594 | 802 | 684 | 698 | 585 |
| Adopted | 587 | 695 | 665 | 639 | 560 | 556 |
Utah FAQ - reunification-light jurisdiction
Signature read: adoption at 35.1% (#7) is Utah's most extreme exit share in FY2022. Median stay is short-tail at 14.6 months among exits.
How many children are in foster care in Utah?
2,067 children were in foster care on September 30, 2022, in the FY2022 AFCARS state table.
What is Utah's foster care grade?
A B, based on four equally weighted AFCARS measures. It is a descriptive profile, not a judgment of overall system quality.
What is the adoption rate in Utah?
Utah adopts out 35.1% of exits, #7 of 51 nationally.
How does Utah compare to other states on aging out?
6.6% of youth age out without permanency, 2.6 points below the national rate. That is a lower rate than 61% of the 51 reporting states in FY2022 AFCARS.
Read our methodology - how Utah's FY2022 AFCARS row is sourced, computed, and verified.
U.S. Children's Bureau AFCARS FY2022 jurisdiction report for Utah (UT). ACF Trends in Foster Care and Adoption workbooks FY2013-FY2022; adoption share of exits stamp 35.1%.
Source: U.S. Children's Bureau (Administration for Children and Families) AFCARS workbooks and jurisdiction reports · FY2022 Utah rates are exits shares from the jurisdiction report; in-care counts are the September 30 stock. Caseload is sparse-system scale: 2,067 children in care on September 30 (#40 nationally).