30 Child Support Statistics & Facts: 2025 Insights

In this article, we dive into 30 eye-opening child support statistics and facts. We will break down how these numbers vary by race and gender while highlighting the disparities that often go unnoticed.

This analysis aims to shed light on the realities of the current system. Whether you are a parent or a professional, understanding these trends is crucial for navigating the financial and legal challenges of raising children in the U.S.

What Is Child Support?

In the United States, child support is a monthly payment ordered by the court. The noncustodial parent pays the custodial parent to help cover the child’s basic needs. This includes essentials like clothes, food, shelter, and education.

The law requires both parents to financially support their offspring, even if the parents split up or divorce. Generally, these duties end when the child graduates high school or turns 19. However, the exact age of emancipation varies by state.

30 Child Support Statistics and Facts

Here are 30 fascinating bits of information regarding support payments across three specific categories. We will look at general U.S. stats, gender breakdowns, and racial disparities.

Child Support and Custody Facts in the U.S.

Let’s look at the laws and custody trends currently shaping the United States.

1. State laws differ: Every state sets its own rules regarding payments ⁽¹⁾. While income is the primary factor in calculating what the noncustodial parent pays, other elements play a significant role depending on your location.
2. Circumstances change payments: The amount you owe isn’t set in stone forever. If the paying parent loses their job or switches careers, the court can modify the support order to reflect the new income level.
3. The New York rule: Most states end support at 18 or 19. New York is an outlier; parents there generally must pay until the child turns 21 ⁽²⁾.
4. Foster care responsibility: Placing a child in foster care does not erase financial duty. In many cases, both parents may still be required to pay support to the state ⁽³⁾.
5. The income shares model: States use different formulas to crunch the numbers. Forty-one states use the “Income Shares Model.” This method estimates what parents would have spent on the child if they lived together and splits that amount based on each parent’s income.
6. No cap on kids: A popular rumor, fueled by shows like Selling Sunset, suggests that if you have more than 10 kids, you stop paying support. This is false. You have a legal obligation to pay for every child you have ⁽⁴⁾.
7. More kids mean higher percentages: The percentage of income required for support rises with the headcount ⁽⁵⁾. For example, one child might require 17 percent of the Combined Parental Income. This jumps to 25 percent for two kids, 29 percent for three, 31 percent for four, and at least 35 percent for five or more.
8. Collection rates: Receiving the money is a different story. About 69 percent of custodial parents received some payments ⁽⁶⁾. However, less than 44 percent received the full amount they were owed.
9. Parents living apart: More than 20 million children have a parent living outside their home ⁽⁷⁾. That represents over 26 percent of all kids under 21. Only half of these families have a formal or informal support agreement in place.
10. Billions in unpaid funds: In 2017, the total child support due across America was $30 billion, averaging $460 per month per family. Custodial parents only received $18.6 billion of that total.

Child Support Statistics by Gender

Does gender influence who pays and who receives? Who is more likely to carry the financial load? Here are 10 facts regarding the role of mothers and fathers in the system.

1. The custodial gap: Women are still the primary caregivers. Eighty percent of custodial parents are mothers, though this is a slight dip from 84 percent in 1994 ⁽⁸⁾.
2. Low income and debt: The vast majority of unpaid child support is owed by fathers with low incomes. It is often an issue of inability to pay rather than a refusal to pay.
3. Abuse survivors: There is a dark correlation regarding non-payment. More than 40 percent of mothers who do not receive their support payments are survivors of physical or emotional abuse.
4. Marital history: Custodial fathers are more likely to be divorced men ⁽⁹⁾. Conversely, a higher percentage of custodial mothers have never been married.
5. Getting the order: Mothers are more successful at getting support orders established. Fifty-one percent of custodial moms were awarded support, compared to only 41 percent of custodial dads.
6. Household size: Custodial mothers are statistically more likely to have multiple children living with them than custodial fathers are.
7. Poverty strikes mothers harder: Children living with a custodial mother face a poverty rate of 23.7 percent. For custodial fathers, that rate drops to 11.2 percent. The situation is direr for moms with three children, where the poverty rate spikes to over 50 percent.
8. Employment stats: In 2017, about half of custodial mothers held full-time jobs, while 21 percent were unemployed. In comparison, 74 percent of custodial fathers worked full-time, with only 9.2 percent not working at all.
9. Dads get stiffed too: While there are fewer custodial fathers, they struggle to collect payments. Over 38 percent of custodial dads received zero payments, compared to 28.7 percent of moms.
10. Income disparity: Custodial fathers generally earn more. The median household income for dads due support was over $70,000. For moms in the same boat, the median was just $52,000.

Child Support Statistics by Race

Race plays a significant factor in how the system operates and affects families. Here are 10 profound facts regarding racial demographics.

1. Demographics of moms: Among custodial mothers, 28.1 percent are Black and 24.1 percent are of Hispanic origin.
2. Demographics of dads: A custodial father is statistically more likely to be a non-Hispanic white man than a Black or Hispanic man.
3. Systemic barriers: The bulk of unpaid support in the U.S. is owed by low-income fathers. This group includes a disproportionate number of Black men who face racial inequalities affecting their earning potential.
4. Lack of legal help: Eighty percent of the legal needs in low-income communities go unmet ⁽¹⁰⁾. Most low-income fathers navigate the court system without a lawyer.
5. Minority impact: Sixty percent of low-income fathers who do not pay child support identify as people of color or ethnic minorities.
6. Racial breakdown of debt: One report analyzing 69 cases showed that of those owing support, 65 percent were Black, 20 percent white, and 12 percent Latino. While 97 percent of the debtors were men, the legal authorities (judges and lawyers) were predominantly white.
7. The unemployment trap: In the study mentioned above, fathers faced high unemployment rates and race-based exclusion. The courts rarely considered these systemic barriers, instead blaming the fathers for a lack of skills or education.
8. Orders by race: White mothers are most likely to have formal support orders (70 percent). In contrast, half of Black, Hispanic, and Native American mothers have no legal order in place.
9. Jail time disparities: About 15 percent of Black fathers in major U.S. cities have been jailed for non-payment, compared to just 5 percent of fathers overall ⁽¹¹⁾. This suggests Black men are incarcerated for debt at significantly higher rates.
10. Children of color: Kids in custodial families are disproportionately children of color. Black children make up 29 percent of this demographic (vs. 15 percent of the total child population), and Hispanic children make up 26 percent ⁽¹²⁾.

FAQs

How Much Is the Average Child Support?

This varies wildly by state. For instance, the average monthly payment in Virginia is around $400, while in Massachusetts it can hit $1,200 ⁽¹³⁾. Nationally, the average amount a father is ordered to pay is roughly $721 per month.

Do States Profit From Child Support?

Yes, states can make money through “welfare cost recovery.” When the government pays welfare to custodial parents, they often intercept the noncustodial parent’s support checks to reimburse themselves. In 2021 alone, the government retained $1.38 billion in fees ⁽¹⁴⁾.

California, for example, keeps a high percentage of these payments and charges interest on late fees ⁽¹⁵⁾. This often traps low-income parents in a cycle of debt, leading to calls for legal reform.

Is Child Support Taxable Income?

No, child support is generally tax-neutral. The parent receiving the money does not have to pay taxes on it, and the parent paying the support cannot deduct it from their taxable income. It is treated differently than alimony in the eyes of the IRS.

What Happens if You Don’t Pay Child Support?

Consequences for non-payment are severe. The state can garnish your wages, intercept tax refunds, suspend your driver’s license, or deny a passport. In extreme cases, a judge can find you in contempt of court, which may result in jail time.