View Research by Author - Liliana Sousa

Citation URL: http://www.urban.org/LilianaSousa

In September 2007, child support arrears had reached $107 billion. The purpose of this report is to provide information about the individuals who owe child support arrears, estimate how much arrears are likely to be collected, and identify the factors that have led to their rapid growth. We find that most arrears are owed by noncustodial parents who have no or low reported incomes. We estimate that 40 percent of arrears in seven large states are likely to be collected over 10 years. The primary reason arrears have grown is because many states have begun to assess interest on arrears.

In 2002, 4.7 million children lived apart from their mother, up from 3.7 million in 1997. Despite their growing numbers, nonresident mothers and their children have remained largely under the radar. This brief provides a national portrait of nonresident mothers and their children, using data from the 2002 National Survey of America's Families (NSAF). It shows that nearly 40 percent of children living apart from their mother live apart from both of their parents. Most of these children do not receive child support and those living apart from both parents experience relatively high rates of poverty. Nonetheless, nonresident mothers are more economically insecure than their children who live elsewhere. Despite these high poverty rates, many of these children may benefit from increased child support enforcement.

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