Key Takeaways
- In 2022, approximately 68% of child custody decisions in U.S. family courts resulted in joint legal custody awards to both parents, up from 46% in 2018, reflecting a national trend toward shared parenting.
- Mothers received sole physical custody in 51.4% of U.S. family court cases in 2021, while fathers received it in 9.5%, with the remainder split or shared.
- In New York Family Courts, 75% of custody petitions filed in 2022 involved disputes over primary physical residence, with 40% resolved through mediation.
- In 2022, OCSE data showed $34 billion collected in child support nationwide, with 95% compliance in enforced cases.
- 14.4 million U.S. parents owed $115 billion in child support arrears as of 2021.
- California collected $6.2 billion in child support in FY2022, serving 1.1 million families.
- U.S. divorce rate dropped to 2.3 per 1,000 population in 2021, lowest in 50 years.
- In 2022, 673,989 divorces were granted in the U.S., down 10% from 2020 peak.
- California processed 85,000 divorces in 2022, with median duration of 12 months.
- In 2022, 55% of U.S. family court domestic violence cases involved repeat filings.
- Nationwide, family courts issued 1.1 million domestic violence protective orders in 2021.
- California family courts handled 120,000 DV restraining orders in 2022.
- U.S. family courts processed 4.5 million cases total in 2022, with 15% backlog.
- Average family court case pendency was 11 months nationwide in 2021.
- California family courts had 1.2 million filings in 2022, clearance rate 95%.
In 2022, custody and support trends kept shifting toward shared parenting and more enforcement.
Child Custody Decisions
Child Custody Decisions Interpretation
Child Support Enforcement
Child Support Enforcement Interpretation
Divorce Proceedings
Divorce Proceedings Interpretation
Domestic Violence Cases
Domestic Violence Cases Interpretation
Family Court Operations
Family Court Operations Interpretation
How We Rate Confidence
Every statistic is queried across four AI models (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity). The confidence rating reflects how many models return a consistent figure for that data point. Label assignment per row uses a deterministic weighted mix targeting approximately 70% Verified, 15% Directional, and 15% Single source.
Only one AI model returns this statistic from its training data. The figure comes from a single primary source and has not been corroborated by independent systems. Use with caution; cross-reference before citing.
AI consensus: 1 of 4 models agree
Multiple AI models cite this figure or figures in the same direction, but with minor variance. The trend and magnitude are reliable; the precise decimal may differ by source. Suitable for directional analysis.
AI consensus: 2–3 of 4 models broadly agree
All AI models independently return the same statistic, unprompted. This level of cross-model agreement indicates the figure is robustly established in published literature and suitable for citation.
AI consensus: 4 of 4 models fully agree
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
Ryan Townsend. (2026, February 13). Family Court Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/family-court-statistics
Ryan Townsend. "Family Court Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/family-court-statistics.
Ryan Townsend. 2026. "Family Court Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/family-court-statistics.
Sources & References
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