FY2022 AFCARS All 51 jurisdictions AFCARS + NCANDS

Washington Foster Care Data

FY2022 · ACF AFCARS Report · 9,234 children in care

B
Reunification-rate grade, not an overall verdict

54.2%

Reunification Rate

#11 nationally

23.6%

Adoption Rate

#41 nationally

6.4%

Aging Out Rate

21.2 mo

Median Length of Stay

5.4

Per 1,000 Children

How Washington Compares to the National Average

FY2022 reunification in Washington landed at 54.2% -- #11 of 51 states and a B grade, modestly 3.7 points above where the nation sits. On adoption, Washington reports 23.6%, running modestly 2.0 points below the national mark.

Placement Types

Foster Family Home 54.8%
Relative/Kinship Care 25.6%
Group Home/Facility 6.8%

Child Maltreatment, NCANDS 2022

Source: HHS National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System HHS National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System

88,420

Reports

13,234

Victims

7.7

Per 1,000 children

Reunification rate 54.2%
National rate

Washington children returned to a parent or primary caregiver

Adoption rate 23.6%
National rate

Children exiting foster care via adoption in Washington

Aging-out rate 6.4%
National rate

Youth exiting foster care at age 18+ without permanency

Frequently Asked Questions

How many children are in foster care in Washington?

9,234 children as of FY2022 -- a per-capita rate of 5.4 per 1,000 children.

What is Washington's foster care grade?

B, ranked #11 of 51 states for reunification rate (54.2%).

What is the adoption rate in Washington?

23.6%, ranked #41 of 51 states.

How does Washington compare to other states on aging out?

6.4% of youth age out without permanency -- 1.2 points below the national rate.

Every figure on PlainFoster is rendered directly from federal source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on federal source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.