Child Support: An Overview of Census
Bureau Data on Recipients
Carmen Solomon-Fears
Specialist in Social Policy
November 17, 2009
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Child Support: An Overview of Census Bureau Data on Recipients
Summary
The national Census Bureau data show that in 2007, 13.7 million parents had custody of children
under age 21 while the other parent lived elsewhere, and the aggregate amount of child support
received was $21.4 billion. In 2007, 84% of custodial parents were mothers. Of all custodial
parents, 54% were white, 25% were black, 17% were Hispanic, 19% were married, 35% were
divorced, 32% were never married, 15% did not have a high school diploma, 17% had at least a
bachelor’s degree, 54% worked full-time year-round, 25% had family income below poverty, and
31% received some type of public assistance. In 2007, only 3.0 million (40%) of the 7.4 million
custodial parents with child support orders actually received the full amount of child support that
was owed to them. The average yearly child support payment received by custodial parents with
payments was $4,379 for mothers and $4,510 for fathers. These full or partial payments
represented 14% of the custodial mothers’ total yearly income and 10% of the custodial fathers’.
Compared to 1993 Census data, less child support was received by custodial parents in 2007
($22.0 billion in 1993 versus $21.4 billion in 2007). However, a higher percentage of those owed
child support actually received all that they were due (36.9% in 1993 versus 46.8% in 2007).
Congressional Research Service
Child Support: An Overview of Census Bureau Data on Recipients
Contents
Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 1
Child Support Awarded and Received.................................................................................... 2
Demographic and Economic Characteristics of Custodial Parents Who Were Awarded
or Who Received Child Support Payments in 2007............................................................. 4
Tables
Table 1. Child Support Award and Receipt, 1993-2007 ................................................................ 2
Table 2. Demographic Characteristics of Custodial Parents by Child Support Award and
Receipt Status, 2007................................................................................................................. 4
Congressional Research Service
Child Support: An Overview of Census Bureau Data on Recipients
Introduction
The United States Census Bureau periodically collects national survey information on child
support. By interviewing a random sample of single-parent families, the Census Bureau is able to
generate an array of data that is useful in assessing the performance of noncustodial parents in
paying their child support. Although the Census Bureau has been collecting child support
information in a special Child Support Supplement to the April Current Population Survey (CPS)
biennially since 1978, the supplement survey has changed significantly over the years. According
to the Census Bureau, the most recent data, from 2007,1 is comparable only back to 1993. During
the early years of the survey, information was collected only from custodial mothers. Beginning
with the 1991 data, information was also collected from custodial fathers. This report presents
unsegmented data with respect to custodial mothers and fathers (i.e., custodial parents data). The
survey population includes all persons who have their own children under age 21 living with
them, while the other parent lives outside the household.
The Child Support Enforcement (CSE) program was enacted in 1975 as a federal-state program
(Title IV-D of the Social Security Act) to help strengthen families by securing financial support
for children from their noncustodial parent on a consistent and continuing basis, and by helping
some families to remain self-sufficient and off public assistance by providing the requisite CSE
services. The CSE program is administered by the Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE)
in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and funded by general revenues. All 50
states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands operate CSE programs
and are entitled to federal matching funds. The CSE program provides seven major services on
behalf of children: (1) parent location, (2) paternity establishment, (3) establishment of child
support orders, (4) review and modification of child support orders, (5) collection of child support
payments, (6) distribution of child support payments, and (7) establishment and enforcement of
medical child support. The CSE program is estimated to handle at least 50% of all child support
cases; the remaining cases are handled by private attorneys, collection agencies, or through
mutual agreements between the parents.
In FY2007, the CSE program collected $24.9 billion in child support payments (from
noncustodial parents) and served 15.8 million child support cases. The national Census Bureau
data show that the aggregate amount of child support received in 2007 was $21.4 billion,2 and
that 13.7 million parents had custody of children under age 21 while the other parent lived
elsewhere.3
1 U.S. Census Bureau, Custodial Mothers and Fathers and Their Child Support: 2007. Current Population Reports,
P60-237, by Timothy S. Grall, November 2009, http://www.census.gov/prod/2009pubs/p60-237.pdf. To view detailed
tables, see http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/childsupport/chldsu07.pdf.
2 It is not surprising that the amount of child support received based on Census bureau data is less the amount of child
support collected based on state CSE data because custodial parents responding to the Census survey are often unaware
of child support received by the state on their behalf if they are recipients of the Temporary Assistance for Needy
Families (TANF) program. In other words, the amount of child support received by TANF parents is probably
underreported because many states retain some or all of the child support collected on behalf of such families.
3 Note that the OCSE defines a CSE “case” as a noncustodial parent (mother, father, or putative/alleged father) who is
now or eventually may be obligated under law for the support of a child or children receiving services under the CSE
program. If the noncustodial parent owes support for two children by different women, that would be considered two
cases; if both children have the same mother, that would be considered one case. Thus, the CSE program caseload may
be larger than the national number of custodial parents potentially eligible for child support payments.
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Child Support: An Overview of Census Bureau Data on Recipients
In 2007, 84% of custodial parents were mothers. Of all custodial parents, 54% were white, 25%
were black, 17% were Hispanic, 19% were married, 35% were divorced, 32% were never
married, 15% did not have a high school diploma, 17% had at least a bachelor’s degree, 54%
worked full-time year-round, 25% had family income below poverty, and 31% received some
type of public assistance.
Child Support Awarded and Received
Table 1 summarizes several child support indicators from biennial survey data for selected years
from 1993 through 2007. The table shows that the likelihood of having a child support award,
being legally entitled to a child support payment, and actually receiving at least one child support
payment decreased over the 15-year period from 1993 through 2007. In contrast, the percentage
of noncustodial parents (owed child support) who received the full amount of the child support
that they were owed increased by 27%, from 37% in 1993 to 47% in 2007.
Table 1. Child Support Award and Receipt, 1993-2007
Percent
1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 Change
(1993-2007)
All custodial
parents
13,690 13,715 13,949 13,529 13,383 13,951 13,605 13,743
0.4
(numbers in
thousands)
Custodial parents
awarded child
7,800 7,967 7,876 7,945 7,916 8,376 7,802 7,428
-4.8
support
(thousands)
Percent awarded
child support
57.0 58.1 56.5 58.7 59.1 60.0 57.3 54.0 -5.3
Custodial parents
due/owed child
support
6,688 6,958 7,018 6,791 6,924 7,256 6,809 6,375
-4.7
(numbers in
thousands)
Percent of those
owed who received
75.8 75.7 75.3 73.7 73.9 76.5 77.2 76.3
0.7
any payment
Percent of those
owed who received
36.9 42.3 46.2 45.1 44.7 45.3 46.9 46.8 26.8
full payment
Average child
support due
$5,060 $5,494 $5,343 $5,917 $5,907 $5,754 $5,931 5,350
5.7
Average child
support received
$3,294 $3,620 $3,560 $3,473 $3,701 $3,945 $3,869 3,354
1.8
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Child Support: An Overview of Census Bureau Data on Recipients
Percent
1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 Change
(1993-2007)
Aggregate Child Support Payments (in billions of dollars)
Child
support
due $33.8 $38.2 $37.5 $40.2 $40.9 $41.7 $40.4 34.1
0.9
Child support
received
$22.0 $25.1 $25.0 $23.6 $25.6 $28.6 $26.3 21.4
-2.7
Child support
deficit
$11.7 $13.1 $12.5 $16.6 $15.2 $13.1 $14.0 12.7
8.5
Percent of amount
due actually
65.1 65.7 66.7 58.7 62.6 68.6 65.1 62.8 -3.5
received
Source: Table prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS), based on data from the U.S. Census
Bureau, Current Population Survey, April 1994-2008. Al child support income amounts were adjusted to reflect
2007 dol ars using the CPI-U-RS. Custodial parents include al persons living with their own children who are
under age 21 while the other parent lives somewhere else.
Note: The difference between the number of custodial parents who were awarded child support and those who
were due or owed child support is composed of persons who were no longer owed child support because their
child was or children were too old, the noncustodial parent had died, the family lived together for part of the
year before the survey interview, or some other reason. (To clarify, in 2007, 7.4 million custodial parents were
awarded child support, but only 6.4 million were due (or owed) child support. The 1.0 million-person difference
was composed of persons who were no longer due child support because of the reasons listed above.)
In 2007, 54% of the 13.7 million custodial parents (with children under age 21) were awarded
child support.4 Of those who were actually due child support payments (6.4 million), a little more
than 76% of them received at least one payment, and 47% received all that they were owed. In
2007, only 3.0 million (22%) of the 13.7 million custodial parents eligible for child support
actually received the full amount of child support that was owed to them. In 2007, the average
child support payment amounted to about $3,354,5 about 2% higher than the average child
support payment in 1993 ($3,294).
In 2007, about 63% of the $34 billion in aggregate child support due was actually paid. In 1993,
65% of the $34 billion (adjusted for inflation, in 2007 dollars) in child support due was paid.
During the 15-year period 1993 to 2007, after adjusting for inflation, aggregate child support due
fluctuated from a low of $33.8 billion in 1993 to a high of $41.7 billion in 2003. But, over the
entire period, aggregate child support due increased less than 1%, total child support received
decreased by about 3%, and the amount left unpaid increased almost 9% (see Table 1).
4 Conversely, the reader should note that many custodial parents do not receive child support. This includes the 46% of
custodial parents who were not awarded child support and 11% of custodial parents who did not receive any child
support payments even though they had been awarded child support. In 2007, this number amounted to 7.8 million
custodial parents. Some of the reasons given as to why there was not a legal child support obligation included the
following: they did not feel the need to make it legal (35%); the other parent provided what he or she could (35%); the
other parent could not afford to pay (32%); they did not want the other parent to pay (26%); they did not want to have
contact with the other parent (19%); they could not locate the other parent (19%); the child stayed with the other parent
part of the time (18%); and paternity was not legally established (9%).
5 This amount reflects total child support payments received divided by the number of parents who were owed/due
payments ($21,400,000,000/6,375,000—total different because of rounding). Table 2 shows an average child support
payment of $4,395 for custodial parents who actually received at least one child support payment in 2007
($21,400,000,000/4,864,000—total different because of rounding).
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Child Support: An Overview of Census Bureau Data on Recipients
Demographic and Economic Characteristics of Custodial Parents
Who Were Awarded or Who Received Child Support Payments
in 2007
While sex, race, marital status, and education are significant factors in predicting whether a
custodial parent will be issued a child support order, award rates tend to be significantly lower
than receipt rates. For example, although female custodial parents were 1.4 times as likely to be
awarded child support in 2007 as their male counterparts, among parents who were owed/due
child support, both had at least a 70% chance of actually receiving child support payments. (See
Table 2.) Moreover, in 2007, less than one-half of black custodial parents were awarded child
support compared with three-fifths of white custodial parents. Even so, 72% of black custodial
parents who were owed/due child support actually received child support payments, and 78% of
white custodial parents who were owed child support actually received child support payments in
2007. Similarly, while only 44% of never-married parents were awarded child support in 2007,
74% of never-married parents who were owed child support actually received child support
payments in 2007. Also, about 43% of custodial parents without a high school diploma were
awarded child support, while 70% of custodial parents without a high school diploma who were
owed child support actually received child support.
Table 2. Demographic Characteristics of Custodial Parents by Child Support Award
and Receipt Status, 2007
(numbers in thousands)
Custodial Parents Who Received at
%
Least Some Child Support in 2007
Total Due
Total
Awarded
Child
Child
Average
Support
Support
% of Those
Due Child
Child
Average
Support
Support ($)
Income ($)
All custodial
parents
13,743 54.0 6,375
76.3
4,395 34,068
Sex
Male 2,387
40.4
825
74.1
4,510
46,574
Female 11,356
56.9
5,551 76.6 4,379
32,271
Race and Ethnicity
White (non-
7,409 60.6 3,924
78.3
4,869 35,338
Hispanic)
Black 3,431
45.6
1,276
71.6
3,050
33,726
Hispanic 2,334
45.1 911 72.9 4,488
28,193
Marital Status
Married 2,643
60.7
1,417 79.7 4,867
32,852
Divorced 4,790
62.8 2,640 75.7 4,964
41,601
Separated 1,712
46.6 633 79.3 4,318 26,559
Never married
4,380
43.5
1,587
73.5
3,001
25,183
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Child Support: An Overview of Census Bureau Data on Recipients
Custodial Parents Who Received at
%
Least Some Child Support in 2007
Total Due
Total
Awarded
Child
Child
Average
Support
Support
% of Those
Due Child
Child
Average
Support
Support ($)
Income ($)
Educational Attainment
No high school
diploma
2,104 42.7
716
70.0
2,927 16,371
High school
graduate
4,776 51.9 2,080
76.3
3,756 27,795
Less than 4 years
of college
3,206 58.7 1,672
75.2
4,310 33,527
Bachelor’s degree
or more
2,279 61.2 1,253
80.2
6,078 52,933
Economic Characteristics
Family income
below 2007
3,375 46.8 1,278
69.3
3,393 8,849
poverty level
Worked full-time,
year-round
7,368 56.4 3,638
76.7
4,613 45,415
Received public
assistance
4,323 47.6 1,732
71.2
3,095 18,094
Source: Table prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) based on data from the U.S. Census
Bureau, Current Population Survey, April 2008.
This pattern also held for the economic factors listed in Table 2—in that once a child support
obligation was awarded, the probability of actually receiving payments rose significantly for all
categories of custodial parents. In 2007, 47% of custodial parents with incomes below the poverty
level were awarded child support, and 69% of those owed/due payments actually received child
support payments. Table 2 also shows that 56% of custodial parents who worked full-time year-
round were awarded child support, while 77% of those owed received child support payments.
Similarly, 48% of custodial parents who received public assistance were awarded child support,
while 71% of those who were owed child support payments actually received child support
payments.6
Of the categories of custodial parents presented in Table 2, custodial parents who were divorced
followed by custodial parents who had at least a bachelor’s degree were the categories of parents
most likely to be awarded child support. In 2007, 62.8% of divorced custodial parents and 61.2%
of custodial parents with at least a bachelor’s degree were awarded child support. The table also
shows that custodial parents with at least a bachelor’s degree who were owed/due child support
were the category of parents most likely to receive child support payments in 2007. In 2007,
80.2% of custodial parents with at least a bachelor’s degree who were owed payments actually
received child support payments.
6 Public assistance program participation includes receiving at least one of the following: Medicaid, food stamps, public
housing or rent subsidy, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), or general assistance.
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Child Support: An Overview of Census Bureau Data on Recipients
In 2007, the average yearly child support payment received by custodial parents with payments
was $4,395; $4,379 for mothers and $4,510 for fathers. These full or partial payments represented
13% of the custodial parent’s yearly income; 14% of the custodial mothers’ total yearly income,
and 10% of the custodial fathers’.
In 2007, for custodial parents with income below the poverty level, child support payments for
those who received them made up 38% of their yearly income. In 2007, child support payments
made up 18% of the yearly income of custodial parents without a high school diploma who were
owed child support and who actually received full or partial payments. In 2007, child support
represented 15% of the income of the 3.0 million custodial parents who received all of the child
support that they were owed.7
The Census Bureau data also includes information on health insurance. In 2007, about 57% of the
7.4 million custodial parents with child support awards had awards that included health insurance.
Nearly half (44.5%) of these health insurance provisos specified that the noncustodial parent was
to provide the health insurance coverage.
Not surprisingly, the data show that custodial parents who are relatively better off generally get a
higher amount of child support than custodial parents who are financially worse off. In 2007,
custodial parents who had at least a bachelor’s degree, custodial fathers, and custodial parents
who worked full-time year-round received substantially more child support than other groups of
custodial parents.
7 See Table 6 at http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/childsupport/chldsu07.pdf (p. 17 of 49).
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