Are you struggling to find answers to your questions about adoption in the US? We are always amazed that it is so hard to find reliable data that answers the three most basic and commonly asked questions about adoption in the US:

  1. How many take place each year in the US?
  2. How much does it cost to adopt?
  3. How long does it take to adopt a baby or child?

The first step in answering these questions is to break down the three basic types of adoption: domestic infant, international (also called intercountry), and foster care adoption.

The federal government updates the information on the numbers and costs of international and foster care adoption annually. However, we generally have only estimates (though good ones) for domestic infant adoption data because it is controlled by state law, and no single source or organization compiles that information.

How Many Kids Are Adopted in the US Each Year?

In general, adoptions in the US continue to decline. According to Adoption By The Numbers, in 2022, an estimated 80,598 children were adopted in the U.S. (excluding stepparent adoptions). This represents a decrease of 1.52% from the previous year and is a sharp decline from the estimated 93,775 adoptions (excluding stepparent adoptions) in 2019.

The overall declines can still be attributed to the sharp declines during and immediately after the COVID-19 pandemic, which have not bounced back. There is also the fact that international (also called intercountry) adoption continues to decrease across the globe.

Let’s examine the breakdown of the three main types to gain a deeper understanding of the current state of adoption in the US.

How Many Domestic Infant Adoptions Happen in the US?

An estimated 25,000 children were adopted via private domestic adoption in the U.S., excluding stepparent adoptions. This represents an increase of 1.72% over the previous year’s reporting cycle. And approximately 19,000 were adopted in 2020.

*We can only speak in estimates because domestic infant adoption is controlled by state law, and there is no one source where data is compiled. Further, the estimates from 2023 do not differentiate between stepparent and non-stepparent private adoptions.

Most of these adoptions had some degree of openness between birth and adoptive families. Domestic infant adoption comprises approximately .5% of all live births in the US and only 1% of births to single parents. We estimate this number to be relatively unchanged over recent years.

How Much Does Domestic Infant Adoption Cost? How Long Does it Take?

CreatingaFamily.org does periodic informal surveys of agencies and adopting families to check costs. Again, we only have estimated data on domestic infant adoptions because domestic infant adoption is controlled by state law, and there is no one source for compiling the data.

The cost of domestic infant adoption varies greatly, based on many factors, including but not limited to:

  • whether the adoption is through an agency or an attorney
  • how many services are provided by the adoption provider
  • whether the adoptive parents have to travel to the state where the baby is born
  • how many agencies are the adoptive parents working with
  • whether the adoptive parents are working with adjunct professionals (such as an adoption consultant or facilitator)
  • whether the expectant mom has health insurance

Given these variables, the average adoption cost from an adoption agency continues to range from $25,000 – $60,000. Some adoption agencies have a sliding fee scale where adoption costs are based on your income. An independent adoption through an adoption attorney usually costs between $35,000 and $50,000.

Don’t forget to factor in the benefits of the federal Adoption Tax Credit. Creating a Family has extensive information on our Adoption Tax Credit resource page, including how you might apply it to domestic infant adoption.

CreatingaFamily.org resources on the Adoption Tax Credit:

Here is the average cost breakdown for domestic infant adoption. We give these ranges because costs vary significantly across the country. Applying to multiple agencies, consultant fees, travel, and expectant mother expenses, especially if matched with a mom in a state with lenient laws for these expenses, can impact your costs.

Adopting a Baby via an Adoption Agency:

  • Average cost:  $25,000 to $60,000
  • Matched within 1 year:  62%
  • Matched within 2 years:  82%

If your process is taking longer, you may find these resources by CreatingaFamily.org helpful:

Adopting a Baby via an Adoption Attorney:

  • Average cost:  $35,000 to $50,000
  • Matched within 1 year:  68%
  • Matched within 2 years:  84%

How Many International Adoptions to the US?

The most significant changes in the adoption landscape are once again in international adoption. The Fiscal Year 2024 Annual Report of Intercountry Adoption by the U.S. Department of State reported 1,172 total international adoptions, a decline from 1,275 in 2023, and 1,517 in 2022.

In general, international adoptions have been declining over the last decade. There was a 45% decrease from 2019 to 2020 due to COVID-19 pandemic-related restrictions. And in August 2024, China officially closed all of its intercountry adoption processes, including an estimated 300 cases that had been caught in limbo since China closed for the pandemic. As a result, the list of top sending nations has changed dramatically. The numbers for international adoption peaked in 2004, when 22,989 children were adopted from abroad.

The gender split for FY2023 international adoptions was about 45% male and almost 55% female. This trend has held for several years now. (As of the update of this article, the 2024 data on gender was not available.) The reasonably even split contrasts with the total international adoptions in 2007, which were about 61% female and 39% male.

In the FY2024 Annual Report, the top three sending countries were:

You can find the number of children placed by each country in the US in Table 1 of this annual report. Our annually updated Adoption Comparison Charts track the top five sending countries.

We wish we could say that the steady decline reflects a reduced need for international adoption, with fewer children entering state care and more adoptions within the country. Unfortunately, this is not true!

The declining numbers are complex and involve continued impacts from COVID-19 and increasing regulation on adoption service providers in the U.S. Additionally, sending countries’ relationships with the U.S. have changed significantly in recent years. There are frequent reports of in-country corruption. And previous annual reports from the Department of State note discontent among sending countries about U.S. families failing to comply with their post-adoption reporting requirements. There is also a growing feeling in some countries that international adoption is not good for the child or for their national reputation.

How Much Does International Adoption Cost? How Long Does It Take?

The cost and timing of international adoption vary significantly by country. CreatingaFamily.org maintains detailed charts on the top five sending countries to the U.S. The cost variations are frequently due to travel expenses, as covered in our charts.

Remember to consider the federal Adoption Tax Credit when calculating the cost of international adoption. CreatingaFamily.org’s Adoption Tax Credit resource page provides extensive information on this credit, including how to claim and maximize it.

You can take the CreatingaFamilyEd.org Adoption Tax Credit online course for a complete overview. The course is also available with a certificate of completion for education requirements, should you need it. These resources might also be of help to maximize your claim to the Adoption Tax Credit:

Here’s a look at the costs and timelines for the top three sending countries in international adoption (FY2024). Please refer to the CreatingaFamily.org Adoption Comparison Charts for more specific information on the top five sending countries to the U.S.

1. India – 202 adoptions

Check out our Top Ten Factors to Consider When Adopting from India.

  • Range of cost: $30,000 – $46,000 plus travel expenses
  • Length of process: potentially up to 4 years, including a typical 2-week stay in-country
  • Age of children at referral: 6 months to 15 years. Children younger than six typically have identified needs.

2. Colombia – 200 adoptions

Check out our Top Ten Factors to Consider When Adopting from Colombia.

  • Range of cost: $35,000 – $60,000 plus travel expenses
  • Length of process: a wide range from 18 months to 3 years
  • Age of children at referral: 6 months to 15 years. Children younger than eight years typically have identified needs.

3. Bulgaria – 79 adoptions

Check out our Top Ten Factors to Consider When Adopting from Bulgaria.

  • Range of cost: $25,000 to $43,000 plus travel expenses for two in-country stays
  • Length of process: wide-ranging, 6 months up to 4 years
  • Ages of children at referral: 5 to 12 years old

How Many Children Are Adopted from Foster Care Each Year?

The most recent and comprehensive breakdown of adoptions from foster care is available on the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) Dashboard by the US Department of Health and Human Services Children’s Bureau.

Adoptions from foster care have declined for several years in a row. In FY2024, the number of children exiting the US foster system to adoption was 46,935. This number decreased from 50,011 in 2023, 52,985 in 2022, and 54,240 in 2021.

There were 328,947 children in foster care as of Sept. 30th, the end of FY2024. These numbers also represent declines from 340,050 in 2023, 368,530 in 2022, and 391,641 in 2021. Neglect, abuse, and parental substance abuse are the top three reasons children entered the foster system in 2024. About 49% of the kids in foster care are between 6 and 16 years old. Finding foster and adoptive placements for these older kids is particularly challenging.

Only 21% of children currently in foster care have case plan goals for adoption. 28% are placed with a non-relative, and 39% are living with a relative or kin. Approximately 27% of the children who left foster care in FY2024 were adopted, and 45% were reunified with their biological parents. 66% of the children who left foster care spent more than one year in the system. In FY2024, more than 120,000 children were already legally free and/or have a stated adoption goal while they wait for permanency.

How Much Does It Cost to Adopt from Foster Care?

To learn more about adopting from foster care, check out CreatingaFamily.org’s Foster Care Adoption resource page.

The bottom line is that adopting a child from the U.S. foster care system costs very little, ranging from free to about $2,500. In addition to the low cost, families who adopt from foster care are also eligible for the full federal Adoption Tax Credit, even if they have no adoption expenses.

You can take CreatingaFamilyEd.org’s Adoption Tax Credit online course and earn educational credit for foster training. You’ll gain an understanding of what the tax credit is and how to claim and maximize it for foster care adoption. We also offer Foster Care Adoption Subsidies: What is Reasonable and How to Negotiate to better understand the interface between foster care and adoption.

CreatingaFamily.org Resources on Foster Care Adoption:

How Long Does It Take?

The timing of adoption from foster care is challenging to calculate for several reasons. First, many families start as foster parents. They may have several foster placements before a child they are fostering becomes available for adoption. Second, unlike in international adoption, the child often lives with the adoptive family as a foster placement while they are waiting for finalization.

About 60% of families seeking to adopt from foster care are matched within one year. The length of time that families wait is usually related to how many restrictions they place on the type of child they are seeking (age, special needs, race).

For more information on adopting from foster care, check out these courses from CreatingaFamilyEd.org:

The following sources were referenced to update this guide to Adoptions in the U.S:

This resource was originally published in 2017 and is updated annually (or when new data is published by the US Department of State or US Department of Health and Human Services, Children’s Bureau, etc.). The former title of this article was “Adoption In the US: How Many? How Much? How Long?”

Image credits: Lara Jameson; Pixabay; Gustavo Fring; Kindel Media