Original data research from PlainChildSupport. Every page derives at least one statistic from our own database, cites primary sources inline, and documents its methodology and limits.
Download the child-support statistics extract cited on this page: child-support-statistics.csv (NCSL · OCSS · ACS · CC BY 4.0).
42 of 51 US states use Income Shares, 6 use Percentage of Income, and 3 use the Melson self-support-reserve model, a mechanical split that produces radically different outcomes at identical incomes.
A 31-point gap in share of Title IV-D caseload with a support order established (OCSS Table P-64), the published per-state rate we can honestly rank.
Of 51 US jurisdictions, only 10 publish official calculators that PlainChildSupport has verified against statute. The other 41 rely on PDF worksheets, third-party tools, or formulas parents must execute themselves.