Washington Foster Care Data
Washington ranks #1 of 51 jurisdictions for reunification: 67.0% of FY2022 exits returned to a parent or primary caregiver, 21.8 points above the national rate.
- C
- Four-measure profile grade
- 8,049
- #16 caseload nationally
- 67.0%
- Reunification (#1)
- 20.3%
- Adoption (#42)
The verdict
Signature read: Washington's 67.0% reunification share is among the highest in the FY2022 corpus (#1). Washington held 8,049 children in foster care on September 30, FY2022 and ranks #1 of 51 jurisdictions for reunification at 67.0%, with a C four-measure profile grade that is not an overall quality verdict.
- #1
- reunification rank of 51 jurisdictions
- 67.0%
- FY2022 reunification rate
- #42
- adoption rank nationally
- 22.9 mo
- median length of stay
Washington sits in the upper third of the FY2022 AFCARS reunification distribution (67.0% of exits, #1 of 51). Caseload is large-system scale: 8,049 children in care on September 30 (#16 nationally). 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
5% Among the lowest aging-out rates lower than 76% 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 WA · Washington C · #1 reunif
8,049 in care · 4,300 exits · FY2022
- REUN 67.0%
- ADOPT 20.3%
- AGE 5.3%
- LOS 22.9 mo
- RANK #1/51
- GRADE C
- CARE 8,049
- EXITS 4,300
- PHOTO Kentucky
- BOOK FY2022 TAR
Nearest caseload peer: Kentucky (144 children vs Washington)
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
1,077 864
Fell by 213 (−19.8%) across the FY2021–FY2022 pair.
-
Children in care on September 30
8,894 8,049
Fell by 845 (−9.5%) across the FY2021–FY2022 pair.
-
Parental rights terminations
1,091 997
Fell by 94 (−8.6%) across the FY2021–FY2022 pair.
-
Children entering care
3,849 3,518
Fell by 331 (−8.6%) across the FY2021–FY2022 pair.
How Washington's 4,300 FY2022 exits break down
Counts rounded from each published exit-share × 4,300 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 Washington's reunification-heavy FY2022 exit mix
Named exit shares for this jurisdiction beside reunification vs the national rate. Competing shares of one exits denominator, not a scorecard.
Washington 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 Washington, nearest by metric distance rather than reunification-rank standings.
Similar median length of stay
Nearest jurisdictions by median months in care (22.9 mo here).
Similar adoption share of exits
Jurisdictions with a comparable adoption exit share (20.3% here).
Kinship-led placement mix in Washington
Caseload is large-system scale: 8,049 children in care on September 30 (#16 nationally). Lead setting: relative/kinship care at 40.6%.
Washington children returned to a parent or primary caregiver
Children exiting foster care via adoption in Washington
Youth exiting foster care at age 18+ without permanency
Washington's decade caseload trail (large-system AFCARS counts)
Signature read: Washington's 67.0% reunification share is among the highest in the FY2022 corpus (#1). AFCARS count series from FY2013 to FY2022 for Washington.
| Metric | FY2013 | FY2015 | FY2017 | FY2019 | FY2021 | FY2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Children Served | 15,222 | 16,170 | 16,778 | 16,582 | 13,354 | 12,349 |
| In Care (Sep 30) | 10,208 | 10,665 | 11,355 | 10,909 | 8,894 | 8,049 |
| Entered Care | 5,756 | 5,704 | 5,922 | 5,336 | 3,849 | 3,518 |
| Exited Care | 5,014 | 5,505 | 5,423 | 5,673 | 4,460 | 4,300 |
| Waiting Adoption | 3,101 | 3,075 | 3,569 | 3,478 | 2,582 | 2,450 |
| Adopted | 1,328 | 1,484 | 1,345 | 1,509 | 1,077 | 864 |
Washington FAQ - reunification-heavy jurisdiction
Signature read: Washington's 67.0% reunification share is among the highest in the FY2022 corpus (#1). Median stay is long-tail at 22.9 months among exits.
How many children are in foster care in Washington?
8,049 children were in foster care on September 30, 2022, in the FY2022 AFCARS state table.
What is Washington'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 Washington?
20.3%, ranked #42 of 51 states.
How does Washington compare to other states on aging out?
5.3% of youth age out without permanency, 3.9 points below the national rate. That is a lower rate than 76% of the 51 reporting states in FY2022 AFCARS.
Read our methodology - how Washington's FY2022 AFCARS row is sourced, computed, and verified.
U.S. Children's Bureau AFCARS FY2022 jurisdiction report for Washington (WA). ACF Trends in Foster Care and Adoption workbooks FY2013-FY2022; reunification share of exits stamp 67.0%.
Source: U.S. Children's Bureau (Administration for Children and Families) AFCARS workbooks and jurisdiction reports · FY2022 Washington rates are exits shares from the jurisdiction report; in-care counts are the September 30 stock. Caseload is large-system scale: 8,049 children in care on September 30 (#16 nationally).