A comparison of costs for domestic and international adoptions, the cost of adoption uncertainties, and more — data from our 2010-2011 Cost & Timing of Adoption Survey.
How much did it cost to adopt a child in 2010-2011? More than 1,500 families that adopted a child in 2011 or 2010 completed our survey on the cost of adoption (before adoption-related employee benefits or the adoption tax credit). We thank everyone who took the time to share their cost details!
- Domestic adoptions, on average, cost less than international adoptions.
- U.S. foster adoption is the least expensive adoption route, by a significant margin.
- 80 percent of respondents who adopted from foster care receive an ongoing monthly subsidy. On average, these families reported receiving $630 per month.
- For most adopters, the average total expenses were about $30,000.
- 39 percent of domestic adopters had at least one “false start,” in which adoptive parents worked with one or more birthmothers before a match that succeeded. The majority (77%) of “false starts” cost less than $5,000.
Please see the rest of this article at AdoptiveFamilies.com