West Virginia Foster Care Data
West Virginia ranks #24 of 51 jurisdictions for reunification: 47.1% of FY2022 exits returned to a parent or primary caregiver, 1.9 points above the national rate.
- B
- Four-measure profile grade
- 6,952
- #19 caseload nationally
- 47.1%
- Reunification (#24)
- 39.2%
- Adoption (#3)
The verdict
Signature read: adoption at 39.2% (#3) is West Virginia's most extreme exit share in FY2022. West Virginia held 6,952 children in foster care on September 30, FY2022 and ranks near the national median on reunification (#24 of 51) at 47.1%, with a B four-measure profile grade that is not an overall quality verdict.
- #24
- reunification rank of 51 jurisdictions
- 47.1%
- FY2022 reunification rate
- #3
- adoption rank nationally
- 15.5 mo
- median length of stay
West Virginia's reunification share (47.1%) lands in the middle third of the FY2022 jurisdiction table (#24 of 51). Caseload is mid-pack: 6,952 children in care on September 30 (#19 nationally). Median stay is short-tail at 15.5 months among exits. Grade B 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
2% Among the lowest aging-out rates lower than 98% 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 WV · West Virginia B · #24 reunif
6,952 in care · 4,543 exits · FY2022
- REUN 47.1%
- ADOPT 39.2%
- AGE 1.5%
- LOS 15.5 mo
- RANK #24/51
- GRADE B
- CARE 6,952
- EXITS 4,543
- PHOTO Oklahoma
- BOOK FY2022 TAR
Nearest caseload peer: Oklahoma (61 children vs West Virginia)
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
2,454 2,312
Fell by 142 (−5.8%) across the FY2021–FY2022 pair.
-
Children entering care
4,710 4,471
Fell by 239 (−5.1%) across the FY2021–FY2022 pair.
-
Children exiting care
4,759 4,543
Fell by 216 (−4.5%) across the FY2021–FY2022 pair.
-
Children served
11,911 11,495
Fell by 416 (−3.5%) across the FY2021–FY2022 pair.
How West Virginia's 4,543 FY2022 exits break down
Counts rounded from each published exit-share × 4,543 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 West Virginia'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.
West Virginia 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 West Virginia, nearest by metric distance rather than reunification-rank standings.
Similar median length of stay
Nearest jurisdictions by median months in care (15.5 mo here).
Similar adoption share of exits
Jurisdictions with a comparable adoption exit share (39.2% here).
Kinship-led placement mix in West Virginia
Caseload is mid-pack: 6,952 children in care on September 30 (#19 nationally). Lead setting: relative/kinship care at 53.2%.
West Virginia children returned to a parent or primary caregiver
Children exiting foster care via adoption in West Virginia
Youth exiting foster care at age 18+ without permanency
West Virginia's decade caseload trail (mid-pack AFCARS counts)
Signature read: adoption at 39.2% (#3) is West Virginia's most extreme exit share in FY2022. AFCARS count series from FY2013 to FY2022 for West Virginia.
| Metric | FY2013 | FY2015 | FY2017 | FY2019 | FY2021 | FY2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Children Served | 7,906 | 8,436 | 10,561 | 12,094 | 11,911 | 11,495 |
| In Care (Sep 30) | 4,389 | 4,984 | 6,737 | 7,322 | 7,152 | 6,952 |
| Entered Care | 3,467 | 3,971 | 5,020 | 5,105 | 4,710 | 4,471 |
| Exited Care | 3,517 | 3,452 | 3,824 | 4,772 | 4,759 | 4,543 |
| Waiting Adoption | 1,364 | 1,496 | 2,980 | 3,402 | 2,454 | 2,312 |
| Adopted | 877 | 893 | 1,070 | 1,699 | 1,856 | 1,831 |
West Virginia FAQ - mid-band jurisdiction
Signature read: adoption at 39.2% (#3) is West Virginia's most extreme exit share in FY2022. Median stay is short-tail at 15.5 months among exits.
How many children are in foster care in West Virginia?
6,952 children were in foster care on September 30, 2022, in the FY2022 AFCARS state table.
What is West Virginia's foster care grade?
B. This profile grade equally combines within-release percentiles for reunification, adoption, aging out, and median length of stay.
What is the adoption rate in West Virginia?
39.2%, ranked #3 of 51 states.
How does West Virginia compare to other states on aging out?
1.5% of youth age out without permanency, 7.7 points below the national rate. That is a lower rate than 98% of the 51 reporting states in FY2022 AFCARS.
Read our methodology - how West Virginia's FY2022 AFCARS row is sourced, computed, and verified.
U.S. Children's Bureau AFCARS FY2022 jurisdiction report for West Virginia (WV). ACF Trends in Foster Care and Adoption workbooks FY2013-FY2022; adoption share of exits stamp 39.2%.
Source: U.S. Children's Bureau (Administration for Children and Families) AFCARS workbooks and jurisdiction reports · FY2022 West Virginia rates are exits shares from the jurisdiction report; in-care counts are the September 30 stock. Caseload is mid-pack: 6,952 children in care on September 30 (#19 nationally).