| 2022 | All | Mothers | Fathers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average owed per year | $6,390 | $6,458 | $6,050 |
| Average received per year | $4,106 | $4,157 | $3,851 |
| Median owed per year | $4,816 | $4,849 | $4,672 |
| Median received per year | $2,768 | $2,902 | $2,290 |
| Number of parents owed support | 4.7 million | 3.9 million | 0.8 million |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Custodial Parents and Their Child Support: 2022 (P60-285, August 2025), Appendix Table 3. Amounts are in 2022 dollars and are what custodial parents reported they were owed, including informal agreements.
How much was actually paid
- About three in four parents owed support (75.5%) received at least some of it, and about half (49.5%) received the full amount.
- About one in four (24.5%) received nothing.
- In total, custodial parents were owed $29.9 billion in 2022 and received $19.2 billion. The Census Bureau puts the money not received at $12.5 billion; it counts parents who got more than they were owed as having no shortfall, so the figures don't simply subtract.
Who these numbers describe
In 2022, 13.9 million parents lived with 22.2 million children under 21 whose other parent lived elsewhere; 78.2% of them were mothers. Only 41.0% had a court order or informal agreement for support, and the averages above cover the 4.7 million who were supposed to receive payments that year.
The Census Bureau doesn't publish averages by number of children or by state, so a national average says little about any one case. Your state's guideline, applied to both parents' incomes, is what courts start from.
The government child support program
State child support agencies distributed $29.3 billion in fiscal year 2025, including payments forwarded to cases outside the program, and served 12 million children. They collected 65% of the current support due in their cases (HHS Office of Child Support Enforcement, FY 2025 preliminary data).
Estimate for your state
Averages mix very different incomes and family sizes. For an estimate based on your own numbers, use your state's calculator:
What is the average child support payment per month?
In 2022, custodial parents who were owed child support were supposed to receive $6,390 a year on average, about $533 a month, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The average amount actually received was $4,106 a year, about $342 a month.
What is the average child support for one child?
The Census Bureau doesn't publish averages by number of children. In 2022, 8.3 million custodial parents had one child eligible for support, but the report gives only counts for them, not amounts. What a court orders depends on the state's guideline and both parents' incomes.
How many parents receive the full amount of child support?
About half. Of the custodial parents who were supposed to receive child support in 2022, 49.5% received the full amount, 75.5% received at least some, and 24.5% received nothing (U.S. Census Bureau).
Is the average child support higher for mothers or fathers?
In 2022, custodial mothers were owed $6,458 a year on average and custodial fathers $6,050, and they received $4,157 and $3,851. The Census Bureau's estimates have margins of error, especially for fathers, whose sample is smaller.
Updated November 8, 2026. Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Custodial Parents and Their Child Support: 2022 (P60-285, August 2025), and its 2022 detailed tables; HHS Administration for Children and Families, Office of Child Support Enforcement, FY 2025 Preliminary Data Report (August 2026).