Child Support Guidelines and the Economic Well-Being of Children in the United States

There is enormous variation in the magnitude of child support awards obtained by using state child support guidelines. 7his variation does not result from cost-of-living differences across states. In many states, nominal and inflation-adjusted support awards declined between 1988 and 1991. Overall, noncustodialparents do notpay afair share of the costs of raising their children. The article advocates making larger awards, expressing awards as a percentage of income, and implementing a child support assurance program.