We are always amazed that it is so hard to find answers to the 3 most basic and commonly asked questions about adoption:

  • How many adoptions take place each year in the US?
  • How much does it cost to adopt?
  • How long does it take to adopt a baby or child?

The first step in answering these questions about adoption is to break down the three basic types of adoption—domestic infant adoption, international adoption, and foster care adoption. The information about the numbers and cost of international adoption and foster care adoption is updated annually by the federal government. We only have estimates though good ones, for the data on domestic infant adoptions because domestic infant adoption is controlled by state law, and there is no one source for compiling the data.

How Many Kids Are Adopted in the US Each Year?

In general, adoptions in the US are declining. In 2007, the total number of adoptions was 133,737. The numbers for 2014, the last year that the full range of data was available, fell to 110,373. Of those adoptions, 41,023 were adoptions within the family (where the child is related to the adopting family) and 69,350 were unrelated adoptions. This overall decline is primarily due to a decrease in intercountry adoptions (international adoptions).

Let’s look at the breakdown of the three main types of adoption to gain a deeper understanding of the state of adoption at the end of 2020.

How Many Domestic Infant Adoptions?

The number of infant adoptions has increased very slightly from 18,078 in 2007 to 18,329 in 2014, the last year data was available. Domestic infant adoption comprises only .5% of all live births in the US and only 1.1% of births to single parents. We estimate this number to be relatively unchanged in the years since.

How Much Do Domestic Infant Adoptions Cost & How Long Did They Take in 2020?

CreatingaFamily.org does periodic informal surveys of agencies and adopting families to check costs. When looking at cost, don’t forget to factor in the federal Adoption Tax Credit. Creating a Family has extensive information on the credit at our Adoption Tax Credit Headquarters and how it applies to domestic infant adoption.

CreatingaFamily.org Resources on the Adoption Tax Credit:

Here are the average cost breakdowns of domestic infant adoption. We give these ranges for a reason — costs vary greatly across the country.

Adopting a Baby via an Adoption Agency:

  • Average cost:  $40,000-$45,000
  • Matched within 1 year:  62%
  • Matched within 2 years:  82%

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

Adopting a Baby via an Adoption Attorney:

  • Average cost:  $35,000-$40,000
  • Matched within 1 year:  68%
  • Matched within 2 years:  84%

How Many International Adoptions to the US?

The greatest change in adoptions has been within the international adoption community. For the fiscal year ending September 30, 2019, the Intercountry Adoption statistics from the U.S. Department of State reported 2,971 total adoptions, with a relatively even split of boys and girls continuing to be reported. In 2007 the total international adoptions were 19,601 (61.1% girls, 38.9% boys). The highest number of international adoptions was in 2004 when 22,989 children were adopted from abroad to the US.

Because the COVID-19 pandemic impacted international adoption so profoundly, we are still using the data collected in FYE 2019 for the top ten countries that placed children in the US:

  • China – 819
  • Ukraine – 298
  • Colombia – 244
  • India – 241
  • S. Korea – 166
  • Bulgaria – 134
  • Haiti – 130
  • Nigeria – 116
  • The Phillippines – 94
  • Liberia – 51

We wish we could say that this decline reflects less need for international adoption with fewer children entering state care and greater numbers of adoptions within the country. Unfortunately, this is not true.

The reasons are complex and involve increased regulations both in the U.S. and in the sending countries. There are frequent reports of corruption in-country and a sense of discontent over the failure of U.S. families to comply with their post-adoption reporting requirements. Additionally, there is 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 Did It Take in 2020?

The cost and timing of international adoption vary greatly by country. CreatingaFamily.org has detailed charts on the top placing countries to the U.S. which we update regularly. Often the cost variation is due to travel expenses, which are covered in these detailed charts.

When looking at cost, don’t forget to factor in the federal Adoption Tax Credit. CreatingaFamily.org has extensive information on this credit at our Adoption Tax Credit Headquarters and how it applies to international adoption. Take the CreatingaFamilyEd.org Adoption Tax Credit 2021 online course for a complete overview, also available with a certificate of completion for education requirements should you need it. Check out 10 Tips for Claiming the Adoption Tax Credit and How to Best Use the Adoption Tax Credit for more help with international adoption. We also offer the CreatingaFamilyEd.org online course, How to Afford Adoption, that you might find helpful.

Here’s a look at the cost and timing for a few of the top sending countries. Please refer to the CreatingaFamily.org Adoption Comparison Charts resource for more specific information on each of the top ten sending countries to the U.S.

China

A detailed chart of all the things you need to know if considering adopting from China.

Ukraine

A detailed chart of all the things you need to know if considering adopting from Ukraine.

  • Average cost: $40,000 (There is a lot of variation due to the travel requirement of 2-3 trips.)
  • Matched within 1 year: 100% (The Ukranian international adoption referral method requires that both parents must be in Ukraine to receive a referral.)
  • Adopted child younger than 2 years: 50%
  • Adopted child older than 10 years: 50%

South Korea

A detailed chart of all the things you need to know if considering adopting from South Korea.

  • Average cost range:  $35,000 – $45,000 (There is a lot of variation due to the travel requirement of two trips.)
  • Matched within 1 year:  85%
  • Matched within 2 years:  100%
  • Adopted a child younger than two years:  69%
  • Adopted a child younger than five years:  100%

How Many Children are Adopted from Foster Care Each Year?

Adoptions from foster care are increasing. The most recent and comprehensive breakdown of the number of adoptions from foster care is the annual AFCARS report by the US Department of Health and Human Services Children’s Bureau.

For FY 2020, (the most recent year from which the data has been reported), the number of children adopted with public child welfare agency involvement was 57,881. That represents an increase from 66,208 in FY 2019.

About 25% of children who enter foster care exited care due to adoption (usually by their foster parents) and about 48% reunified with their birth families or other primary caregivers.

The total number of children in care at the end of FY 2020 dropped to 407,493. This is down from 426,566 in FY 2019 and 434,909 in FY 2018.

How Much Does It Cost to Adopt from Foster Care and How Long Did It Take in 2020?

To learn more about how to adopt a child from foster care check out CreatingaFamily.org’s extensive resources on foster care adoption.

The bottom line is that it cost very little to adopt a child from the U.S. foster care system – anywhere 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 do not have adoption expenses.

You can take CreatingaFamilyEd.org’s Adoption Tax Credit 2021 online course for a complete overview of how you can claim it for foster care adoption. We also offer 10 Tips for Claiming the Adoption Tax Credit and How to Best Use the Adoption Tax Credit for more help with adoption from foster care.

CreatingaFamily.org Resources on Foster Care Adoption:

The timing for adopting from foster care is hard to calculate because often families start as foster parents and may have several foster placements before the child they are fostering becomes available for adoption. Also, unlike in international adoption, the child often lives with the adoptive family as a foster placement while they are waiting for the adoption to be finalized.

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 that they want to adopt (age, special needs, race).

For more information on adopting from foster care, check out these resources from CreatingaFamily.org:

Sources for this guide to Adoption in the U.S.

**This guide was first published in 2017; Updated and republished annually.

Image credits:  John-Mark Smith; Omer Unlu; joan vila; Virginia State Parks