Most folks in the US are too poor to adopt and it doesn't matter how well they'd care for the child: It isn't exactly a free process just looking out for the needs of the child. (I'd argue that if we were just looking out for the child, the legal costs would be covered by taxes and eligibility wouldn't be put on finances at all. We'd have to use tax money to support the child without adoption, after all).

My parents looked into adopting from another country - it was a program they were introduced to through church. It cost $20,000 plus travel... in the 1990s.