Map – Child Support Payments in the U.S. by State, 2018

According to data from the Federal Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE), a total of $32 billion in child support payments was collected in 2018.

The interactive map below shows how these payments break down from state to state.

Table of Child Support Payments Collected from 2015-2018

Texas residents collected the most child support payments, totaling $4.2 billion in 2018 – nearly twice as much as the next highest state, California, with $2.4 billion.

At first glance, these data seem to align closely with total populations of states: the top 4 most populous states in the nation – California, Texas, Florida, New York – are also in the top 5 for total child support payments. Likewise, the state with the lowest amount of total child support paid out in 2018 was Vermont, ranked second to last in population, with $42 million.

However, when population is taken into consideration, the data seems to suggest otherwise.

Map of Child Support Payments Collected Per Capita

The map below shows the states that pay the most child support per capita (per 1,000 people). Darker shades on the map indicate more paid per capita.

The top 5 in this list – Arizona, New Hampshire, Colorado, South Carolina, New Mexico – are all states that rank relatively low in population. By contrast, Texas (ranked 2nd in population) is dead last on this list, with $6.92 paid per capita. This seems to suggest that child support has a more profound financial impact on states with less residents.

Map of Child Support Owed Per Capita

The map below shows the total amount of child support owed per capita in the U.S. Texas has the highest child support owed per capita, at nearly $169 per member of the population. They also have the highest total child support owed in the country, at over $4.93 billion dollars in 2018.

Why Does Child Support Vary So Much From State to State?

Some of these disparities may be attributed to differences in stateside child support laws – especially with regard to calculating the amount of child support that a parent must pay. All states in the U.S. follow one of three models for calculating payments:

• Income Shares Model. Child support is calculated by the total income of both parents. This is based on the concept that a child should receive the same proportion of parental support that they would normally receive if the parents had stayed together.
• Percentage of Income Model. Child support is based on a percentage of only the noncustodial parent’s income. Some states apply a flat percentage model, while others use a varying percentage, based on a number of factors.
• Melson Formula. A more complex version of the Income Shares Model, this takes into account the parents’ needs as well. This model ensures that the parents’ basic needs are met even after child support is paid.

40 states use the Income Shares Model, 11 states use the Percentage of Income Model, and just three – Delaware, Hawaii, and Montana – apply the Melson Formula.

Another factor to consider in child support laws is the age at which parents are no longer legally obligated to contribute to a child. The majority of states use 18 years of age as a cutoff point, but some use 20 or even 21 as a cutoff point. Additionally, some laws make high school graduation a factor in these obligations as well, allowing considerations for continued support past 18 if the child has not yet graduated. In some states, courts may also make special exceptions if the child in question has a learning disability or is differently abled.

It’s clear that there are a lot of factors and circumstances that can impact child support payments from state to state. If you are requesting child support for your offspring, it may be recommended to consult an attorney who has intimate knowledge of the child support laws in your state.