Wisconsin Foster Care Data
Wisconsin ranks #14 of 51 jurisdictions for reunification: 50.5% of FY2022 exits returned to a parent or primary caregiver, 5.3 points above the national rate.
- D
- Four-measure profile grade
- 6,622
- #21 caseload nationally
- 50.5%
- Reunification (#14)
- 18.2%
- Adoption (#46)
The verdict
Signature read: adoption at 18.2% (#46) is Wisconsin's thinnest named exit share in FY2022. Wisconsin held 6,622 children in foster care on September 30, FY2022 and ranks near the national median on reunification (#14 of 51) at 50.5%, with a D four-measure profile grade that is not an overall quality verdict.
- #14
- reunification rank of 51 jurisdictions
- 50.5%
- FY2022 reunification rate
- #46
- adoption rank nationally
- 17.6 mo
- median length of stay
Wisconsin sits in the upper third of the FY2022 AFCARS reunification distribution (50.5% of exits, #14 of 51). Caseload is mid-pack: 6,622 children in care on September 30 (#21 nationally). Profile grade D 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
10% 27th percentile lower than 27% 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 WI · Wisconsin D · #14 reunif
6,622 in care · 3,669 exits · FY2022
- REUN 50.5%
- ADOPT 18.2%
- AGE 10.3%
- LOS 17.6 mo
- RANK #14/51
- GRADE D
- CARE 6,622
- EXITS 3,669
- PHOTO Kansas
- BOOK FY2022 TAR
Nearest caseload peer: Kansas (186 children vs Wisconsin)
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.
-
Parental rights terminations
579 667
Rose by 88 (+15.2%) across the FY2021–FY2022 pair.
-
Children adopted
710 649
Fell by 61 (−8.6%) across the FY2021–FY2022 pair.
-
Children exiting care
3,815 3,669
Fell by 146 (−3.8%) across the FY2021–FY2022 pair.
-
Children served
10,586 10,290
Fell by 296 (−2.8%) across the FY2021–FY2022 pair.
How Wisconsin's 3,669 FY2022 exits break down
Counts rounded from each published exit-share × 3,669 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 Wisconsin'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.
Wisconsin exit routes
Reunification vs national
Same reunification rate as the bar chart; tick marks the national AFCARS rate as context only.
Nationwide peers with similar stay length or adoption share
Two AFCARS peer sets for Wisconsin, 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).
Similar adoption share of exits
Jurisdictions with a comparable adoption exit share (18.2% here).
Foster-family placement mix in Wisconsin
Caseload is mid-pack: 6,622 children in care on September 30 (#21 nationally). Lead setting: foster family home at 45.7%.
Wisconsin children returned to a parent or primary caregiver
Children exiting foster care via adoption in Wisconsin
Youth exiting foster care at age 18+ without permanency
Wisconsin's decade caseload trail (mid-pack AFCARS counts)
Signature read: adoption at 18.2% (#46) is Wisconsin's thinnest named exit share in FY2022. AFCARS count series from FY2013 to FY2022 for Wisconsin.
| Metric | FY2013 | FY2015 | FY2017 | FY2019 | FY2021 | FY2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Children Served | 10,852 | 11,451 | 12,226 | 12,271 | 10,586 | 10,290 |
| In Care (Sep 30) | 6,539 | 7,091 | 7,721 | 7,653 | 6,771 | 6,622 |
| Entered Care | 4,668 | 4,700 | 5,175 | 4,620 | 3,616 | 3,615 |
| Exited Care | 4,315 | 4,360 | 4,512 | 4,617 | 3,815 | 3,669 |
| Waiting Adoption | 1,153 | 1,267 | 1,397 | 1,540 | 1,391 | 1,419 |
| Adopted | 800 | 643 | 692 | 711 | 710 | 649 |
Wisconsin FAQ - reunification-heavy jurisdiction
Signature read: adoption at 18.2% (#46) is Wisconsin's thinnest named exit share in FY2022. Median stay is mid-band at 17.6 months among exits.
How many children are in foster care in Wisconsin?
6,622 children were in foster care on September 30, 2022, in the FY2022 AFCARS state table.
What is Wisconsin's foster care grade?
A D, 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 Wisconsin?
Wisconsin adopts out 18.2% of exits, #46 of 51 nationally.
How does Wisconsin compare to other states on aging out?
10.3% of youth age out without permanency, 1.1 points above the national rate. That is a lower rate than 27% of the 51 reporting states in FY2022 AFCARS.
Read our methodology - how Wisconsin's FY2022 AFCARS row is sourced, computed, and verified.
U.S. Children's Bureau AFCARS FY2022 jurisdiction report for Wisconsin (WI). ACF Trends in Foster Care and Adoption workbooks FY2013-FY2022; adoption share of exits stamp 18.2%.
Source: U.S. Children's Bureau (Administration for Children and Families) AFCARS workbooks and jurisdiction reports · FY2022 Wisconsin rates are exits shares from the jurisdiction report; in-care counts are the September 30 stock. Caseload is mid-pack: 6,622 children in care on September 30 (#21 nationally).