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What is a child support investigator and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a child support investigator. For example, did you know that they make an average of $22.95 an hour? That's $47,732 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 9% and produce 64,000 job opportunities across the U.S.
ScoreChild Support InvestigatorUS Average
Salary
3.7

Avg. Salary $47,732

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
10.0

Growth rate 9%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
9.3
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.51%

Asian 2.67%

Black or African American 13.37%

Hispanic or Latino 15.12%

Unknown 4.19%

White 63.14%

Gender

female 67.32%

male 32.68%

Age - 42
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 42
Stress level
10.0

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
8.5

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance
6.2

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Child support investigator career paths

Key steps to become a child support investigator

  1. Explore child support investigator education requirements

    Most common child support investigator degrees

    Bachelor's

    70.8 %

    Master's

    12.7 %

    Associate

    12.7 %
  2. Start to develop specific child support investigator skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Law Enforcement Agencies10.73%
    Protective Services7.48%
    Child Support Orders6.74%
    Child Care6.60%
    Minimum Standards6.48%
  3. Complete relevant child support investigator training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New child support investigators learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a child support investigator based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real child support investigator resumes.
  4. Research child support investigator duties and responsibilities

    • Help children/youth in state custody achieve permanency whether through reintegration, adoption or custodianship.
    • Provide information and support to transitioning foster youth during assessment, case planning or other permanency and transition-relate activities.
    • Perform related adoptions and supervisory visits for state adoptions.
  5. Prepare your child support investigator resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your child support investigator resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a child support investigator resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable child support investigator resume templates

    Build a professional child support investigator resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your child support investigator resume.
    Child Support Investigator Resume
    Child Support Investigator Resume
    Child Support Investigator Resume
    Child Support Investigator Resume
    Child Support Investigator Resume
    Child Support Investigator Resume
    Child Support Investigator Resume
    Child Support Investigator Resume
    Child Support Investigator Resume
  6. Apply for child support investigator jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a child support investigator job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first child support investigator job

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Average child support investigator salary

The average child support investigator salary in the United States is $47,732 per year or $23 per hour. Child support investigator salaries range between $37,000 and $60,000 per year.

Average child support investigator salary
$47,732 Yearly
$22.95 hourly

What am I worth?

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How do child support investigators rate their job?

5/5

Out of 2 Child Support Investigator reviews, 100% were positive.

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Based on 2 ratings

Career growth
3.0
Overall rating
5.0
Work/life balance
4.0
Pay / salary
4.0

Child support investigator reviews

profile
5.0
A zippia user wrote a review on Nov 2025
Pros

I work as a child support investigator where I am in the field often serving child support documents on individuals, I do a lot of locate work to find individuals and there income/assets. Every case is like a new puzzle where you use your many data bases to locate a person and look into their income/assets. It is very satisfying when you personally serve someone who has been actively evading service.

Cons

You are trying to serve people in higher crime neighborhoods, which can be dangerous. I do not carry a firearm, so you have to be well aware of your surroundings and be quick to react in any situation. You will also serve people who get VERY angry that you served them.


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Nov 2019
Pros

The vulnerable are cared for and protected


profile
5.0
A zippia user wrote a review on Sep 2019
Pros

Helping children have a better life. All children from broken families need a chance to survive no matter what.

Cons

Wages are incredibly low. The hours are great and I don't have to take my job home with me. It would be great for someone that just graduated 12th grade.


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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