Child Support: An Overview of Census Bureau Data on Recipients

^Pr^ep^ar^{ed f}^o^r^M^e^m^b^ers^an^d^Com^mⁱ^t^t^ees^of^C^ong^r^e^ss

The national Census Bureau data show that in 2005, 13.6 million parents had custody of children
under age 21 while the other parent lived elsewhere, and the aggregate amount of child support
received was $24.8 billion. In 2005, 84% of custodial parents were mothers. Of all custodial
parents, 56% were white, 25% were black, 22% were married, 35% were divorced, 30% were
never married, 15% did not have a high school diploma, 15% 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 2005, only 3.2 million (41%) of the 7.8 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 $4,719 for mothers and $4,691 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, more child support was received by custodial parents in 2005, and a higher
percentage of those owed child support actually received all that they were due.

Introduc tion ............................................................................................................................... 1
Child Support Awarded and Received.......................................................................................2
Demographic and Economic Characteristics of Custodial Parents Who Were Awarded
or Who Received Child Support Payments in 2005...............................................................3
Table 1. Child Support Award and Receipt, 1993-2005..................................................................2
Table 2. Demographic Characteristics of Custodial Parents by Child Support Award and
Receipt Status, 2005.....................................................................................................................4
Author Contact Information............................................................................................................6

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 ¹
to the Census Bureau, the most recent data, from 2005, 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 FY2005, the CSE program collected $23.0 billion in child support payments (from
noncustodial parents) and served 15.9 million child support cases. The national Census Bureau
data show that the aggregate amount of child support received in 2005 was $24.8 billion, and that ²

13.6 million parents had custody of children under age 21 while the other parent lived elsewhere.

In 2005, 84% of custodial parents were mothers. Of all custodial parents, 56% were white, 25%
were black, 22% were married, 35% were divorced, 30% were never married, 15% did not have a
high school diploma, 15% 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.

¹^U^.^{S. C}^e^ns^us^B^u^r^e^a^u^.^Custo^dⁱ^a^l^M^o^the^{rs an}^{d F}^a^the^{rs a}ⁿ^d^Theⁱ^{r C}^h^ild^S^u^p^port:²⁰⁰⁵^{. C}^u^r^r^eⁿ^t^Pop^u^l^a^{tion R}^e^por^ts^,
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^tab^l^es,^{see h}^ttp^:^//www^.^cen^su^s.^go^v^/^h^h^e^s/^www/^ch^il^d^s^u^p^p^o^r^t/^ch^ld^su⁰⁵^.^p^d^f^.
²^No^t^e^t^h^at^t^h^{e OCS}^E^d^e^fⁱⁿ^e^{s a CS}^E^{“case” as a}^nonc^us^todⁱ^a^l^pa^r^e^nt⁽^m^othe^r^,^f^a^the^r^{, or}^pu^ta^tiv^e^/^a^lle^g^e^{d f}^a^the^r⁾^w^{ho is}
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^be^la^r^g^e^r^thaⁿ^t^h^e^na^ti^ona^l^num^be^r^of^c^u^s^t^odia^l^pa^r^e^nts^poteⁿ^tia^lly^elig^ible^f^o^r^c^h^ild^s^u^p^por^{t pa}^y^m^eⁿ^ts.

Table 1 summarizes several child support indicators from biennial survey data for selected years
from 1993 through 2005. 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 has increased only modestly over the 13-year period from 1993 through 2005. In
contrast, the percentage of noncustodial parents who received the full amount of the child support
that they were owed increased by 27%, from 37% in 1993 to 47% in 2005.
Table 1. Child Support Award and Receipt, 1993-2005
^%
¹⁹⁹³¹⁹⁹^{5 199}^{7 199}⁹²⁰⁰^{1 200}^{3 200}⁵^Change^(1993-
²⁰⁰⁵⁾
^{All custodial parents}^13,6⁹⁰^13,7^{15 13,9}^{49 13,5}²⁹^13,3^{83 13,9}^{51 13,6}⁰⁵^-0.6
^(numbe^{rs in t}^housa^nds)
^{Custodial parents awarded c}^hild^7,80⁰^7,96^{7 7,87}^{6 7,94}⁵^7,91^{6 8,37}^{6 7,80}²^0.0
^sup^{port (thousa}^nds)
^Percent^awarded^c^hild^support^57.0^{58.1 56.5 58.7}^{59.1 60.0 57.3}^0.5
^{Custodial parents due/owed child}^6,68⁸^6,95^{8 7,01}^{8 6,79}¹^6,92^{4 7,25}^{6 6,80}⁹^1.8
^sup^port
^(numbe^{rs in t}^housa^nds)
^{Percent of t}^{hose owed who}^75.8^{75.7 75.3 73.7}^{73.9 76.5 77.2}^1.8
^{received any}^payment
^{Percent of t}^{hose owed who}^36.9^{42.3 46.2 45.1}^{44.7 45.3 46.9}^27.1
^{received full payme}^nt
^Average^child^su^pport^due^$4,76⁵^$5,17⁵^$5,03²^$5,57²^$5,56⁴^$5,41⁸^$5,58⁴^17.2
^Average^child^su^pport^re^ceived^$3,10²^$3,40⁹^$3,35³^$3,27⁰^$3,48⁶^$3,71⁴^$3,64³^17.4
^Agg^{regate Child Suppo}^{rt Payments (in billions of dollars)}
^Child^support^due^$31.8^{$36.0 $35.3 $37.8}^{$38.5 $39.3 $38.0}^19.5
^Child^support^r^eceived^$20.8^{$23.7 $23.5 $22.3}^{$24.1 $27.0 $24.8}^19.2
^Child^support^deficit^$11.0^{$12.3 $11.8 $15.5}^{$14.4 $12.3 $13.2}^20.0
^{Percent of amou}^{nt due}^actually^65.4^{65.8 66.6 59.0}^{62.6 68.7 65.3}^-0.2
^received
^Source:^{Table pr}^epared^{by t}^he^{Congressional Research Service (}^{CRS), based on data from the U.S. Census}
^{Bureau, Cu}^rrent^{Population Surv}^{ey, April 199}^4-2⁰⁰^{6. All child support income amou}^{nts were}^adjus^{ted to reflect}
²⁰⁰^{5 dollars using t}^{he CPI-U-RS.}^{Custodial parents include all pers}^{ons living with their own c}^{hildren who are}
^{under age}²¹^{while the oth}^{er pa}^r^{ent lives somewhere}^else.
^Note:^{The difference betwee}^{n t}^{he n}^umbe^{r of c}^{ustodial parents w}^{ho were awarded c}^{hild support a}^{nd those who}
^{were due or owed c}^{hild support}^{is composed of persons}^{who wer}^{e no longer owed child sup}^{port b}^{ecause t}^heir
^{child was or children were too old, the noncu}^{stodial parent had di}^{ed, the family lived together for p}^{art of the}
^{year before}^the^surv^{ey interview,}^{or some other rea}^{son. (To clarif}^{y, in 20}^{05, 7.8}^{million custodia}^{l parents we}^re
^{awarded child support,}^{but only}^{6.8 million were due (or owed) child support. The}^{1.0 million-person difference}
^{was composed of per}^{sons w}^{ho were no longer due}^{child sup}^port^because^{of the}^{reasons listed abo}^ve.)

In 2005, 57% of the 13.6 million custodial parents (with children under age 21) were awarded ³
child support. Of those who were actually due child support payments (6.8 million), a little more
than 77% of them received at least one payment, and 47% received all that they were owed. In
2005, only 3.2 million (23%) of the 13.6 million custodial parents eligible for child support
actually received the full amount of child support that was owed to them. In 2005, the average ⁴
child support payment amounted to about $3,642, almost 18% higher than the average child
support payment in 1993 ($3,095).
In 2005, about 65% of the $38 billion in aggregate child support due was actually paid. In 1993,

65% of the $32 billion (adjusted for inflation, in 2005 dollars) in child support due was paid.

Over the 13-year period 1993 to 2005, aggregate child support due increased 20%, total child
support received increased 20%, and the amount left unpaid increased 19% (see Table 1).
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 more than 1.5 times as
likely to be awarded child support in 2005 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 2005, only one-half of black custodial parents were
awarded child support compared with three-fifths of white custodial parents. Even so, nearly 70%
of black custodial parents who were owed/due child support actually received child support
payments, and 80% of white custodial parents who were owed child support actually received
child support payments in 2005. Similarly, while only 48% of never-married parents were
awarded child support in 2005, 75% of never-married parents who were owed child support
actually received child support payments in 2005. Also, about 47% of custodial parents without a
high school diploma were awarded child support, while 71% of custodial parents without a high
school diploma who were owed child support actually received child support.

³^C^onv^e^r^s^e^ly^{, the}^r^e^a^d^e^r^s^houl^{d n}^o^t^e^tha^t^m^aⁿ^y^c^u^s^t^odia^l^pa^r^eⁿ^t^s^d^o^{not r}^ecei^{ve ch}ⁱ^l^d^s^u^pp^o^r^t^.^T^hⁱ^sⁱⁿ^cl^u^d^e^{s t}^h^e⁴³^%^o^f
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^m^{illion c}^u^sto^d^ia^{l pa}^reⁿ^t^{s. S}^o^m^e^of^the^re^a^s^{ons g}ⁱ^v^e^{n a}^s^{to w}^h^y^the^r^e^wa^{s not a}^le^g^a^{l c}^h^ild^sup^por^{t o}^b^lig^a^{tion i}ⁿ^c^l^u^d^e^d
^the^f^o^llowⁱ^ng^{: the}^y^{did n}^o^{t f}^e^e^l^th^e^ne^e^d^to^m^a^k^e^{it le}^g^a^{l (}^34%⁾^;^the^othe^r^pa^r^e^nt^pr^ov^ide^d^w^h^a^t^he^or^s^h^e^c^oul^{d (}²^8%⁾^;
^the^ot^he^r^pa^r^e^nt^c^oul^d^not^a^f^f^o^r^d^t^o^pa^y⁽^24%⁾^;^the^y^did^not^w^a^{nt th}^e^othe^r^pa^r^e^{nt t}^o^pa^y⁽^21%⁾^;^the^c^h^ild^s^t^a^y^e^d^w^ith
^the^ot^he^r^pa^r^e^nt^pa^r^t^of^the^tim^e⁽^20%⁾^;^t^h^e^y^{did no}^{t w}^a^{nt to}^ha^v^e^c^onta^c^t^w^{ith t}^h^e^ot^he^r^pa^r^e^{nt (}^17%⁾^;^the^y^c^ould^not
^loc^a^t^e^the^ot^he^r^pa^r^eⁿ^t⁽¹^5%⁾^;^aⁿ^d^pa^te^rⁿ^ity^w^a^s^{not le}^g^a^lly^e^s^t^a^blis^he^{d (}⁸^%⁾^.
⁴^T^h^is^a^m^{ount r}^e^f^l^e^c^t^s^tota^{l c}^h^{ild s}^upp^or^t^pa^y^m^eⁿ^ts^r^ecei^ved^dⁱ^vi^d^e^d^b^y^t^h^{e n}^u^m^b^e^{r o}^f^p^a^ren^t^{s w}^h^o^w^e^{re o}^w^ed^/^d^u^e
^pa^y^m^eⁿ^ts⁽^$24^,8^00,⁰⁰^0,⁰⁰^0/6,⁸⁰^9,0⁰⁰⁾^.^Ta^b^l^{e 2}^s^how^s^aⁿ^a^v^e^r^a^g^{e c}^h^ild^s^u^p^por^{t pa}^y^m^eⁿ^{t of}^$4,7¹⁷^f^o^r^c^u^s^t^odia^l
^p^a^ren^t^{s w}^h^o^act^u^a^l^l^y^recei^ved^at^l^east^oⁿ^e^chⁱ^l^d^sup^p^o^r^t^p^a^ymen^tⁱⁿ²⁰⁰⁵^($2⁴^,⁸⁰⁰^,⁰⁰^0,⁰⁰⁰^/⁵^,²⁵⁹^,⁰⁰⁰^).

Table 2. Demographic Characteristics of Custodial Parents by Child Support Award
and Receipt Status, 2005
^{(numbers in thousands)}
^{Custodial Parents Wh}^{o Rece}^{ived at}^Total^%^{Total Due}
^{Least Some Child Support in}²⁰⁰⁵^Awar^ded^Child
^Child^Support
^Support^{% of Th}^ose^Average^Average
^{Due Child}^Child^{Income (}^$)
^Support^{Support (}^$)
^{All custodial}^13,6⁰⁵^57.3^6,80⁹^77.2^4,71⁷^29,4⁵⁴
^parent^s
^Sex
^{Male 2,19}⁹^36.4⁶⁷⁸^74.5^4,69¹^42,9⁷⁷
^{Female 11,4}⁰⁶^61.4^6,13¹^77.5^4,71⁹^28,0¹⁸
^{Race and}^Ethnicity
^{White (non-}^7,57^{0 63.2}^4,16⁷^80.2^5,16⁹^32,6⁸⁹
^Hispanic)
^{Black 3,43}¹^49.5^1,48⁴^69.2^3,25¹^23,9⁷⁵
^{Hispanic 2,14}⁶^49.5⁹⁴⁹^76.2^4,64³^22,6⁹⁸
^{Marital Sta}^tus
^{Married 3,00}⁷^63.0^1,70³^76.8^5,03⁰^29,1⁴⁰
^{Divorced 4,79}⁵^64.6^2,72⁷^79.5^5,34³^35,5⁵⁰
^{Separated 1,50}⁶^49.8⁶³⁸^75.2^4,81⁹^28,9⁴⁸
^{Never ma}^rried^4,13⁰^47.8^1,66³^74.9^3,32²^19,1⁸⁷
^Educ^{ational Attainment}
^{No high sc}^hool^2,06^{2 47.3}⁷⁹¹^71.2^3,41⁴^14,5⁵⁹
^diploma
^{High school}^4,88^{0 57.0}^2,45⁷^75.5^4,03²^22,8³⁰
^graduate
^{Less tha}^{n 4}^years^3,09^{0 62.3}^1,68⁹^74.7^4,88⁸^26,8¹⁰
^{of college}
^{Bachelor’s degree}^2,09^{6 58.9}^1,07⁹^84.9^6,65⁶^53,2⁹⁷
^{or more}
^Eco^{nomic Cha}^racteristics
^{Family income}^3,40^{6 52.7}^1,50²^72.6^3,37²^7,79⁹
^{below 200}⁵
^{poverty level}
^{Worked full-time,}^7,33^{1 58.6}^3,82⁵^77.5^4,88¹^40,2⁵⁸
^year-round
^{Received public}^4,27^{3 56.2}^2,03²^72.1^3,37⁸^14,1²⁹
^assistance
^Source:^{Table pr}^epared^{by t}^he^{Congressional Research Service (}^{CRS) based on data from the U.S. Census}
^{Bureau, Cu}^rrent^{Population Surv}^{ey, April 200}^6.

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 2005, 53% of custodial parents with incomes below the poverty
level were awarded child support, and 73% of those owed/due payments actually received child
support payments. Table 2 also shows that 59% of custodial parents who worked full-time year-
round were awarded child support, while 78% of those owed received child support payments.
Similarly, 56% of custodial parents who received public assistance were awarded child support,
while 72% of those who were owed child support payments actually received child support ⁵
payments.
Of the categories of custodial parents presented in Table 2, custodial parents who were divorced
followed by custodial parents who were white were the categories of parents most likely to be
awarded child support. In 2005, 64.6% of divorced custodial parents and 63.2% of white
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 support were the category of parents most
likely to receive child support payments in 2005. In 2005, 84.9% of custodial parents with at least
a bachelor’s degree who were owed payments actually received child support payments.
In 2005, the average yearly child support payment received by custodial parents with payments
was $4,719 for mothers and $4,691 for fathers. These full or partial payments represented 17% of
the custodial mothers’ total yearly income and 11% of the custodial fathers’.
In 2005, for custodial parents with income below the poverty level, child support payments for
those who received them made up 43% of their yearly income. In 2005, child support payments
made up 23% 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 2005, child support
represented 19% of the income of the 3.2 million custodial parents who received all of the child ⁶
support that they were owed.
The Census Bureau data also includes information on health insurance. In 2005, about 58% of the

7.8 million custodial parents with child support awards had awards that included health insurance.

Nearly half (45.1%) 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. The
exception was custodial fathers who, as noted above, received less child support than custodial
mothers.

⁵^P^u^b^lⁱ^c^assi^st^an^{ce p}^r^o^g^ram^p^a^rtⁱ^cⁱ^p^atⁱ^oⁿⁱⁿ^cl^u^d^e^{s recei}^viⁿ^g^at^l^east^oⁿ^e^o^f^t^h^{e f}^o^l^l^o^wⁱⁿ^g:^M^e^dⁱ^cai^d^,^f^o^o^d^st^am^p^s^,^p^u^b^lⁱ^c
^housⁱⁿ^g^{or re}^{nt s}^u^bs^idy^,^T^e^m^pora^r^y^A^s^sⁱ^s^t^aⁿ^c^e^f^o^{r N}^e^e^d^y^Fam^ilie^s^(TA^N^{F), or g}^e^ne^ra^{l a}^s^sⁱ^s^t^aⁿ^c^e^.
⁶^Se^e^T^a^ble^{6 a}^t^htt^p^://w^ww^.c^eⁿ^su^s.g^o^v^/^hhe^s/www^/^c^hildsu^pp^ort/^c^h^l^d^su0⁵^.^pdf^(p.²⁸⁾^.

^Car^m^eⁿ^So^lo^m^o^n-^Fear^s
^Specialis^{t i}ⁿ^{Social P}^o^lic^y
^cs^ol^o^m^onf^ears@^crs^.^l^o^c.g^o^v^,⁷^-⁷³⁰⁶