NC PATH data We are in the process of integrating the new NCPATH foster care data into prior datasets. Until this is complete, current foster care data frequencies reported here will be lower than the true frequencies. This note will be removed when the integration is complete.
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| North Carolina | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
| Number of children | 4332 | 4426 | 4359 | 4493 | 4068 |
| Adoptive home | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.4% | 0.2% | 0.0% |
| Emergency Shelter/Temporary Placement | 0.3% | 0.5% | 2.8% | 4.9% | 7.2% |
| Foster home | 37.7% | 37.8% | 34.1% | 32.0% | 32.7% |
| Therapeutic Home | 0.9% | 0.7% | 0.6% | 1.0% | 1.1% |
| Group Home, Residential | 4.5% | 3.4% | 3.6% | 3.6% | 3.4% |
| Group Home, Treatment | 0.6% | 0.3% | 0.6% | 0.5% | 0.6% |
| Hospital | 6.8% | 7.7% | 8.2% | 8.2% | 8.6% |
| Jail/Detention Facility | 0.8% | 0.6% | 0.9% | 0.8% | 0.4% |
| Missing Data | 0.4% | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.9% | 0.2% |
| Non-relative/Court Approved | 10.9% | 11.9% | 12.7% | 13.2% | 10.8% |
| Other | 1.0% | 1.0% | 1.5% | 2.3% | 2.0% |
| Parent/Guardian | 2.4% | 2.1% | 2.3% | 2.0% | 2.4% |
| Relative | 32.9% | 32.9% | 31.5% | 30.0% | 30.2% |
| Runaway | 0.6% | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.4% |
| North Carolina | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
| Number of children | 4332 | 4426 | 4359 | 4493 | 4068 |
| Median number of days | 540.0 | 543.0 | 543.0 | 474.0 | N/A |
| % remaining after 90 days | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| % remaining after 180 days | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| % remaining after 360 days | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| % remaining after 450 days | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| % remaining after 540 days | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | N/A |
| % remaining after 720 days | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | N/A |
| % remaining after 1080 days | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | N/A | N/A |
| North Carolina | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
| Number of children | 4332 | 4426 | 4359 | 4493 | 4068 |
| Number of children in non-family settings | 1668 | 1784 | 1911 | 1953 | 1624 |
| Number of children in non-family settings | 38.5% | 40.3% | 43.8% | 43.5% | 39.9% |
| Median # of days in non-family settings | 141.5 | 124.0 | 102.0 | 93.0 | N/A |
| Median # of days in custody/pa | 674.0 | 706.0 | 681.0 | 487.0 | N/A |
| North Carolina | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
| 1 placement | 30.1% | 25.5% | 21.1% | 25.6% | 35.6% |
| 2 placements | 20.1% | 19.7% | 24.0% | 25.1% | 28.3% |
| 3 placements | 12.5% | 15.4% | 16.2% | 15.9% | 14.3% |
| 4 or more placements | 35.6% | 37.5% | 36.4% | 31.6% | 18.8% |
| No countable placements | 1.8% | 2.0% | 2.3% | 1.8% | 3.0% |
| North Carolina | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
| 1 placement | 39.2% | 32.9% | 25.9% | 28.4% | 35.7% |
| 2 placements | 23.2% | 24.4% | 27.2% | 26.9% | 28.1% |
| 3 placements | 12.9% | 16.2% | 16.8% | 16.1% | 14.2% |
| 4 or more placements | 22.6% | 24.4% | 27.7% | 26.8% | 18.9% |
| No countable placements | 2.1% | 2.1% | 2.4% | 1.8% | 3.0% |
| North Carolina | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
| Number of children | 4332 | 4426 | 4359 | 4493 | 4068 |
| # of children who left custody/pa | 4003 | 3778 | 3115 | 2139 | 757 |
| # of children who left custody/pa before 18 | 3893 | 3717 | 3067 | 2099 | 746 |
| # of children who reentered custody/pa | 305 | 279 | 201 | 106 | 36 |
| # of children who reentered custody/pa | 7.8% | 7.5% | 6.6% | 5.1% | 4.8% |
Citations- The suggested way to cite this website is as follows: Duncan, D. F., Stewart, C. J., Seminara, G., Malley, K. M. D., Reives, W., Francis, A., & Guest, S. (2026). Creating Indicators for Child Welfare. Retrieved [month day, year], from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, School of Social Work. https://cip.ssw.unc.edu/ or https://creatingindicators.ssw.unc.edu