Child Support Agreements:
According to Custodial Mothers and Fathers and Their Child Support: 2007, a report released by the U.S. Census Bureau in November, 2009:
- Among the 13.7 million custodial parents in the U.S. In 2007, 54% if them had some type of child support agreement in place.
- 92% of those child support agreements were formal agreements, established in court or through a government agency.
- 8% were informal child support agreements established between the two parents.
- In 2007, 27.3% of custodial parents sought the government’s assistance collecting child support.
The Amount of Child Support Owed:
- $34.1 billion dollars in child support was owed during the year 2007.
- The average amount of child support due was $5,350
- 62.7% of that money—an average of $3,354—was received.
- In other words, on average, custodial parents who receive child support get about $280 per month.
Partial-Payment vs. Full Payment of Child Support Money:
- Among the 7.8 million custodial single parents who were awarded child support in 2007, only 46.8% received all of the child support money that was due.
- 29.5% of custodial parents received some of the money that was due.
- 23.7% received none of the child support money due.
- 57.6% of custodial parents received some form of non-cash child support in 2007.
Additional Child Support Statistics:
- 56.9% of custodial single mothers were awarded child support in 2007.
- 40.4% of custodial single father were awarded child support during the same year.
United States. Census Department. Custodial Mothers and Fathers and Their Child Support: 2007. By Timothy S. Grall. Census, 2009. 26 Feb. 2010 [http://www.census.gov/prod/2009pubs/p60-237.pdf].
