US Adoption Rate

The percentage change in adoption rates across U.S. states from 2012 to 2022 show significant regional disparities. The adoption rates over that decade have declined across most of the states, where the West, South, and Midwest have some of the steepest decreases (approaching −80% to −100% in the darkest categories). In contrast, there are some states which show stable or increasing adoption rates, most notably West Virginia, which stands out with a strong positive change (+40–60%), and a few Northeastern states with some gains or smaller declines. There is a widespread national contraction in adoption activity, but also some isolated areas of resilience or growth. Some reasons might be change family structures, policy environment, and economic conditions.