PlainChildSupport

Every figure on PlainChildSupport traces back to a named public source, computed by documented pipelines. PlainChildSupport is accountable for the data framing, methodology, and corrections you read here.

Download the child-support statistics extract cited on this page: child-support-statistics.csv (NCSL · OCSS · ACS · CC BY 4.0).

Every figure published on PlainChildSupport names where it came from: the federal enforcement figures are parsed from the published OCSS report by a deterministic pipeline, and the state guideline percentages are our editorial compilation of each state's own guideline document, linked on the state page. According to the federal Office of Child Support Services, the 51 state child support programs handled 11.88 million cases and distributed $26.4 billion in fiscal year 2023, while guideline formulas set base support from 13% of income for one child in Washington to 25% in Vermont. Our methodology sets out exactly how each dataset is sourced, computed, and refreshed, and the about page explains how we handle corrections when a reader flags something. PlainChildSupport is accountable for that data framing, methodology, and corrections through the correction channels it publishes.

PlainChildSupport is a data-journalism publisher: we compile public datasets, verify them against their official sources, and present them in plain language. Editorial standards, sourcing, and how we handle corrections are described on our about and methodology pages.