Child Support: An Overview of Census
Bureau Data on Recipients
Carmen Solomon-Fears
Specialist in Social Policy
December 16, 2013
The House Ways and Means Committee is making available this version of this Congressional Research Service
(CRS) report, with the cover date shown, for inclusion in its 2014 Green Book website. CRS works exclusively
for the United States Congress, providing policy and legal analysis to Committees and Members of both the
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Child Support: An Overview of Census Bureau Data on Recipients

Summary
The national Census Bureau data show that in 2011, 14.4 million parents had custody of children
under age 21 while the other parent lived elsewhere, and the aggregate amount of child support
received was $23.6 billion. In 2011, 82% of custodial parents were mothers. Of all custodial
parents, 50% were white, 25% were black, 21% were Hispanic, 18% were married, 33% were
divorced, 35% were never married, 15% did not have a high school diploma, 17% had at least a
bachelor’s degree, 50% worked full-time year-round, 29% had family income below poverty, and
39% received some type of public assistance. In 2011, only 2.7 million (38%) of the nearly 7.1
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 $5,160 for mothers and $4,433 for fathers. These full or partial
payments represented 17% of the custodial mothers’ total yearly income and 11% of the custodial
fathers’. Compared to 1993 Census data, less child support was received by custodial parents in
2011 ($23.9 billion in 1993 versus $23.6 billion in 2011; in 2011 dollars). However, a higher
percentage of those owed child support actually received all that they were due (36.9% in 1993
versus 43.4% in 2011).

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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 2011,1 are comparable only back to 1993.2
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 FY2011, the CSE program collected $27.3 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 2011 was $23.6 billion,3 and that
14.4 million parents had custody of children under age 21 while the other parent lived elsewhere.4

1 U.S. Census Bureau, Custodial Mothers and Fathers and Their Child Support: 2011. Current Population Reports,
P60-246, by Timothy S. Grall, October 2013, http://www.census.gov/prod/2013pubs/p60-246.pdf. To view detailed
tables, see https://www.census.gov/people/childsupport/data/cs11.html and click on 2011 detailed tables icon.
2 Due to space limitations, Table 1 does not display data for 1995.
3 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.
4 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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In 2011, 82% of custodial parents were mothers. Of all custodial parents, 50% were white, 25%
were black, 21% were Hispanic, 18% were married, 33% were divorced, 35% were never
married, 15% did not have a high school diploma, 18% had at least a bachelor’s degree, 50%
worked full-time year-round, 29% had family income below poverty, and 39% received some
type of public assistance (i.e., Medicaid, food stamps, public housing or rent subsidy, TANF, or
general assistance).
Child Support Awarded and Received
Table 1 summarizes several child support indicators from biennial survey data for selected years
from 1993 through 2011. 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 19-year period from 1993 through 2011. 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 almost 18%, from 37% in 1993 to 43% in 2011.
Table 1. Child Support Award and Receipt, Selected Years, 1993-2011
Percent
Change
(1993-

1993
1997
1999
2001
2003
2005
2007
2009
2011
2011)
All custodial
parents
13,690
13,949
13,529
13,383
13,951
13,605
13,743
13,672
14,440
5.5%
(numbers in
thousands)
Custodial
parents awarded
7,800
7,876
7,945
7,916
8,376
7,802
7,428
6,914
7,057
-9.5%
child support
(thousands)
Percent awarded
57.0%
56.5%
58.7%
59.1%
60.0%
57.3%
54.0%
50.6%
48.9%
-14.2%
child support
Custodial
parents
due/owed child
6,688
7,018
6,791
6,924
7,256
6,809
6,375
5,897
6,262
-6.4%
support
(numbers in
thousands)
Percent of those
owed who
75.8%
75.3%
73.7%
73.9%
76.5%
77.2%
76.3%
70.8%
74.1%
-2.2%
received any
payment
Percent of those
owed who
36.9%
46.2%
45.1%
44.7%
45.3%
46.9%
46.8%
41.2%
43.4%
17.6%
received full
payment
Average child
$5,489
$5,796
$6,418
$6,408
$6,242
$6,433
$5,803
$6,244
$6,052
10.3%
support due
Average child
$3,583
$3,862
$3,767
$4,014
$4,279
$4,197
$3,638
$3,811
$3,771
5.2%
support received
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Percent
Change
(1993-

1993
1997
1999
2001
2003
2005
2007
2009
2011
2011)
Aggregate Child Support Payments (in billions of dollars)
Child support
$36.6
$40.7
$43.6
$44.3
$45.2
$43.8
$37.0
$36.8
$37.9
3.6%
due
Child support
$23.9
$27.1
$25.6
$27.8
$31.1
$28.6
$23.2
$22.4
$23.6
-1.3%
received
Child support
$12.7
$13.6
$18.0
$16.5
$14.2
$15.2
$13.8
$14.4
$14.3
12.6%
deficit
Percent of
amount due
65.3%
66.6%
58.7%
62.8%
68.8%
65.3%
62.7%
60.9%
62.3%
-4.6%
actually received
Source: Table prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS), based on data from the U.S. Census
Bureau, Current Population Survey, April 1996-2012. All child support income amounts were adjusted by the
Census Bureau to reflect 2011 dollars using the CPI-U-RS. Custodial parents include all 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 2011, 7.1 million custodial parents were
awarded child support, but only 6.3 million were due (or owed) child support. The 0.8 million-person difference
was composed of persons who were no longer due child support because of the reasons listed above.)
In 2011, about 49% of the 14.4 million custodial parents (with children under age 21) were
awarded child support.5 Of those who were actually due child support payments (6.3 million),
about 74% of them received at least one payment, and 43% received all that they were owed. In
2011, only 2.7 million (19%) of the 14.4 million custodial parents eligible for child support
actually received the full amount of child support that was owed to them. In 2011, the average
child support payment amounted to about $3,771,6 5% higher than the average child support
payment in 1993 ($3,583).
In 2011, 62% of the $37.9 billion in aggregate child support due was actually paid. In 1993, 65%
of the nearly $37 billion (adjusted for inflation, in 2011 dollars) in child support due was paid.
During the 19-year period 1993 through 2011, after adjusting for inflation, aggregate child
support due fluctuated from a low of $36.6 billion in 1993 to a high of $45.2 billion in 2003. But,
over the entire period, aggregate child support due increased by about 4%, total child support

5 Conversely, the reader should note that many custodial parents do not receive child support. In 2011, this included
51% 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 2011, this number amounted to almost 8.7
million custodial parents. Some of the reasons given as to why there was not a legal child support obligation included
the following: the other parent provided what he or she could (37%); the other parent could not afford to pay (33%);
they did not feel the need to make it legal (33%); they did not want the other parent to pay (24%); they did not want to
have contact with the other parent (19%); the child stayed with the other parent part of the time (18%); they could not
locate the other parent (17%); and paternity was not legally established (7%).
6 This amount reflects total child support payments received divided by the number of parents who were owed/due
payments ($23,600,000,000/6,262,000=$3,769—total different because of rounding). Table 2 shows an average child
support payment of $5,135 for custodial parents who actually received at least one child support payment in 2011
($23,600,000,000/4,641,000=$5,085—total different because of rounding).
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received decreased a little over 1%, and the amount left unpaid increased almost 13% (see Table
1).
Demographic and Economic Characteristics of Custodial Parents
Who Were Awarded or Who Received Child Support Payments
in 2011
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 almost 1.9 times more
likely to be awarded child support in 2011 as their male counterparts, among parents who were
owed/due child support, both had at least a 68% chance of actually receiving child support
payments. (See Table 2.) Moreover, in 2011, 40% of black custodial parents were awarded child
support compared to 54% of white custodial parents. Even so, 73% of black custodial parents
who were owed/due child support actually received child support payments and 75% of white
custodial parents who were owed child support actually received child support payments in 2011.
Similarly, while only 41% of never-married parents were awarded child support in 2011, almost
70% of never-married parents who were owed child support actually received child support
payments in 2011. Also, 42% of custodial parents without a high school diploma were awarded
child support, while 67% 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, 2011
(numbers in thousands)

Custodial Parents Who Received at
Least Some Child Support in 2011
%
Awarded
Total Due
% of Those
Average
Child
Child
Due Child
Child
Average
Total
Support
Support
Support
Support ($)
Income ($)
All custodial
14,440
48.9
6,262
74.1
5,088
31,517
parents
Sex
Male
2,643
28.84
674
68.1
4,433
42,042
Female
11,797
53.4
5,588
74.8
5,160
30,363
Race and Ethnicity
White (non-
9,829
53.5
4,664
75.0
5,194
32,156
Hispanic)
Black
3,677
40.4
1,265
73.1
4,524
27,517
Hispanic
3,021
51.8
1,202
67.9
4,634
22,119
Marital Status
Married
2,630
54.4
1,276
74.5
4,549
28,087
Divorced
4,772
55.9
2,404
76.7
5,777
38,733
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Custodial Parents Who Received at
Least Some Child Support in 2011
%
Awarded
Total Due
% of Those
Average
Child
Child
Due Child
Child
Average
Total
Support
Support
Support
Support ($)
Income ($)
Separated
1,813
44.3
666
77.0
5,124
31,246
Never married
5,060
41.0
1,857
69.6
4,497
24,102
Educational Attainment
No high school
2,183
42.0
800
66.5
3,811
12,319
diploma
High school
4,557
46.1
1,809
71.0
5,028
23,776
graduate
Some college—no
3,391
51.7
1,581
76.7
4,599
27,135
degree
Associate’s degree
1,681
56.7
844
76.2
4,769
32,728
Bachelor’s degree
2,628
50.7
1,228
78.9
6,692
56,997
or more
Economic Characteristics
Family income
below 2009
4,180
47.7
1,707
72.7
4,503
8,676
poverty level
Worked full-time,
7,289
48.3
3,160
74.6
5,061
46,308
year-round
Received public
5,675
48.4
2,389
71.0
4,480
14,978
assistance
Source: Table prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) based on data from the U.S. Census
Bureau, Current Population Survey, April 2012.
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 2011, nearly 48% of custodial parents with incomes below the
poverty level were awarded child support, and nearly 73% of those owed/due payments actually
received child support payments. Table 2 also shows that 48% of custodial parents who worked
full-time year-round were awarded child support, while almost 75% of those owed received child
support payments. Similarly, about 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.7
Of the categories of custodial parents presented in Table 2, custodial parents who had an
associate’s degree followed by custodial parents who were divorced were the categories of
parents most likely to be awarded child support. In 2011, 56.7% of custodial parents with an
associate’s degree and 55.9% of divorced custodial parents were awarded child support. The table
also shows that custodial parents with at least a bachelor’s degree who were owed/due child

7 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

support was the category of parents most likely to receive child support payments in 2011. In
2011, 78.9% of custodial parents with at least a bachelor’s degree who were owed payments
actually received child support payments.
In 2011, the average yearly child support payment received by custodial parents with payments
was $5,088; $5,160 for mothers and $4,433 for fathers. These full or partial payments represented
(on average) 16% of the custodial parent’s yearly income, 17% of the custodial mothers’ total
yearly income, and 11% of the custodial fathers’.
In 2011, for custodial parents with income below the poverty level, child support payments for
those who received them made up, on average, 52% of their yearly income. In 2011, child support
payments made up 31% 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 2011, child
support represented 20% of the income of the 2.7 million custodial parents who received all of
the child support that they were owed.8
The Census Bureau data also include information on health insurance. In 2011, 52% of the 7.1
million custodial parents with child support awards had awards that included health insurance.
The noncustodial parent provided the health insurance coverage in 41.7% of the awards with
health insurance provisos and in 13.7% of the awards without health insurance stipulations.
Moreover, the noncustodial parent provided health insurance coverage for 17.8% of the nearly 7.4
million custodial parents who did not have a child support award.9 Overall, 3.2 million
noncustodial parents provided health care for their children in 2011.10 This represented 22.4% of
the 14.4 million children under age 21 who were living with a custodial parent while their other
parent lived elsewhere.

8 See Table 6 at https://www.census.gov/people/childsupport/data/files/chldsu11.pdf (p. 17 of 50).
9 U.S. Census Bureau, Custodial Mothers and Fathers and Their Child Support: 2009, Current Population Reports,
P60-240, by Timothy S. Grall, October 2013, http://www.census.gov/prod/2013pubs/p60-246.pdf (p. 12) or Table 8 of
the detailed tables, https://www.census.gov/people/childsupport/data/files/chldsu11.pdf (p. 35 of 50).
10 In 2011, nearly 1.5 million noncustodial parents provided health care insurance in cases where it was stipulated in the
child support agreement, 0.4 million provided health care insurance in cases where it was not required by the
agreement, and 1.3 million provided health care insurance in cases where there was no child support agreement.
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