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How Many Couples are Waiting to Adopt a Baby?

As a woman considering adoption, you get to choose the perfect adoptive parents to raise your child. And, as you scroll through the profiles of families waiting to adopt, you'll see hundreds of options. Each is a person who is hoping for a chance to love this baby.

  • How will I find the perfect family waiting to adopt?
  • Are there many options out there for me?
  • Just how many families are looking to adopt?

It’s completely understandable to wonder how many couples are waiting to adopt a baby. After all, it’s easy to believe that there’s a never-ending list of families when you scroll through an agency’s website. But before we get into the rest of the article, there is one thing that we want to reassure you of: No matter how many families there are, you will absolutely find the perfect family for your baby.

In order to help you find accurate couples waiting to adopt statistics, we have done our best to compile the information we know below. But if you’d like to learn more about families looking to adopt statistics, or if you’d like to contact American Adoptions to learn how many couples are waiting to adopt at our agency, you can always reach out to us at 1-800-ADOPTION. You can also fill out our online form to get more information about the families who are waiting to adopt.

How Can I Find an Accurate Number of Parents Waiting to Adopt?

While it is difficult to find an exact, accurate number to answer this question, Some sources estimate that there are about 2 million couples currently waiting to adopt in the United States — which means there are as many as 36 waiting families for every one child who is placed for adoption. Based on this couples waiting to adopt statistic, many couples are waiting to adopt.

Consider this: about 10 percent of women in the United States — 6.1 million — have difficulty getting or staying pregnant. While not all women facing infertility will pursue adoption, a 2002 study by the Centers for Disease Control shows that more than half (57 percent) of women who use infertility services do consider adoption.

In addition, these numbers do not take into account how many parents want to adopt for reasons other than infertility. Many more hopeful parents choose to grow their families through adoption, whether they are unmarried individuals, members of the LGBTQ community, or anyone else who feels that they are meant to adopt. Still many other waiting families simply don’t care whether a child is biologically related to them or not, or wish to add another child through adoption after already having conceived one or more of their own. So, if you’re wondering how many couples are waiting to adopt right now, you should be happy the see that there are plenty from all kinds of backgrounds.

Is There a Shortage of Families Looking to Adopt?

We know that many women are wondering if there are shortages of families looking to adopt a newborn when they start to make their adoption plan. The answer is no! And as society continues to become more aware and accepting of the diverse types of families created through adoption, the number of waiting families for adoption continues to rise.

In fact, according to one study covering families looking to adopt statistics,  about 81.5 million Americans have considered adopting a child at one time in their lives. That’s about 40 percent of all U.S. adults, up from 36 percent in 1997. It’s a statistic that will likely continue to grow as more Americans understand how beautiful adoption can be. While many of these people will not actually complete the adoption process, these numbers clearly demonstrate that there are a significant number of loving families who are interested in adoption.

How Many People Want to Adopt a Baby with American Adoptions?

At any given time, American Adoptions is usually working with about hundreds of active families who have been pre-screened and approved to adopt. These hopeful parents come from all across the country, have many different backgrounds and have many different reasons for choosing adoption.

Any woman who works with our agency never has to settle when it comes to finding an adoptive family. Because of our national scope, we work with more families from across the country. This means that you have a greater chance of finding exactly the type of adoptive family you’re looking for. And you can keep looking until you find the one that you know is right for your baby, just like Angelica did.

I wanted to keep my options open, so I asked her to email me some more (family profiles),” Angelica says. “Eventually, she had sent me every single one of the waiting couples on the whole list.

It’s also important to know that every family waiting to adopt through American Adoptions has undergone:

  •  Financial, criminal and medical background checks
  •  Interviews with each family member 
  • A home inspection.

Although we have a high number of families waiting to adopt, you will never see a prospective adoptive family waiting to adopt through American Adoptions who cannot provide a safe, secure and loving home for your baby. Because of our personal adoption experience, we know what makes a great adoptive family. Our staff members who are birth mothers know what prospective birth parents deserve from their child's adoptive parents. Our adopted staff members know the qualities that made their parents amazing. You have a ton of people on your side to make sure you find the right fit!

It can be difficult to determine exactly how many families want to adopt at any given time. Just know that if you are a pregnant woman considering adoption, you will find the perfect adoptive parents for your child. With so many people looking to adopt, you will have your choice of many wonderful, loving families. And at American Adoptions, we can help you to find that one family waiting to adopt that can give your child exactly the life you’re envisioning.

Where Can I See Waiting Families’ Profiles? [Choosing the Perfect Family]

Now that we’ve talked about families waiting to adopt statistics, it’s time to talk about choosing the perfect family. American Adoptions works with each family waiting to adopt to create two different kinds of adoption profiles: a print profile and a video profile.  These profiles give you a way to learn more about any given waiting family prior to meeting them. Your adoption specialist will show you profiles of different waiting families for adoption that match your adoption preferences. This will show you how a family interacts with each other in their own home environment without ever having to leave the comfort of your own home.

When you find a family you’d like to meet, your adoption specialist can arrange a conference call so that you can get to know each other better. We know that looking through the high number of families can be intimidating, but we promise that when you find the right family, you’ll know. Take it from birth mother Randi:

“When we got matched with them, it was like an instant connection,” she said of the adoptive parents, Matthew and Katheryn. They made themselves available to Randi throughout her pregnancy with weekly phone calls. “If I wanted to talk one week, they would talk to me. If I didn’t, if my emotions were just too strong, they were like, ‘Ok, let’s talk next week.’

With American Adoptions, you can also experience that instant connection and find a family who will be excited to get to know you and respectful of your boundaries. American Adoptions provides all of the services, support and guidance you need to sort through these waiting families’ profiles and choose the one that is right for your baby.

To learn more about American Adoptions’ waiting families, how many couples in the U.S. are waiting to adopt with our agency, our services, or adoption in general, you may contact an adoption specialist 24/7 at 1-800-ADOPTION or fill out our free information form

Disclaimer
Information available through these links is the sole property of the companies and organizations listed therein. American Adoptions provides this information as a courtesy and is in no way responsible for its content or accuracy.

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