Behind the closed doors of American homes, a staggering 41% of women will face violence from an intimate partner in their lifetime, a silent epidemic woven into the fabric of our society.
Key Takeaways
- According to the CDC's National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS) 2016/2017, approximately 41% of women in the US have experienced some form of contact sexual violence, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime
- The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) reports that from 2003 to 2012, about 70% of female murder victims were killed by an intimate partner or family member
- NCADV states that 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men have experienced some form of physical violence by an intimate partner in the US
- Women aged 18-24 experience the highest rates of intimate partner violence at 13.9 per 1,000, per BJS 2020
- Black women are murdered by intimate partners at 2.5 times the rate of white women, according to Violence Policy Center
- CDC NISVS: 44% of lesbian women and 61% of bisexual women experienced IPV
- 70% of perpetrators are current or former intimate partners, BJS
- 85-90% of abusers are male, NCADV
- Alcohol involved in 25-50% of IPV incidents, NIAAA
- IPV costs US $8.3 billion annually in medical and mental health care, CDC
- Victims lose 8 million paid workdays per year due to IPV, CDC
- 42% of women IPV victims suffer injuries requiring medical care, NISVS
- 50 states mandate arrest in DV cases, but conviction rates <20%, NIJ
- Only 34% of IPV victims report to police, BJS NCVS 2021
- 2,000+ DV shelters serve 1.5 million women/children yearly, HHS
Domestic violence is a widespread, devastating crisis impacting millions across the United States.
Impacts
- IPV costs US $8.3 billion annually in medical and mental health care, CDC
- Victims lose 8 million paid workdays per year due to IPV, CDC
- 42% of women IPV victims suffer injuries requiring medical care, NISVS
- Lifetime economic cost per victim: $103,767 for women, $23,414 for men, CDC
- 37% of women seek medical care post-IPV, BJS
- PTSD prevalence: 31% in IPV victims vs 4% general pop, NIMH
- Suicide attempts 2.9x higher among female IPV victims, CDC
- Children witnessing DV: 7 million annually, 15-30% develop issues, DOJ
- IPV victims 2x more likely to have heart disease, stroke, asthma, CDC
- Homelessness: DV primary cause for 38% women shelters, NNEDV
- Annual medical costs for female victims: $5.8 billion, CDC
- Depression rates: 50% in battered women, APA
- 18% of IPV victims miss work, costing $1.8 billion lost productivity, CDC
- Arthritis 28% higher in IPV victims, CDC NISVS
- Child maltreatment 6-9x higher in DV homes, Child Welfare
- Victims 15x more likely to abuse alcohol, SAMHSA
- Lifetime cost to society: $3.6 trillion for women who experienced rape/IPV as children, CDC
- 41% of female victims develop chronic health issues, NISVS
- Job loss: 25% of victims quit or lose jobs due to abuse, NCADV
- 92% of victims suffer long-term emotional effects, The Hotline
Impacts Interpretation
The sheer weight of these numbers reveals a national crisis where the physical and emotional toll on victims is matched only by the staggering economic burden it inflicts on society as a whole.
Perpetrator Demographics
- 70% of perpetrators are current or former intimate partners, BJS
- 85-90% of abusers are male, NCADV
- Alcohol involved in 25-50% of IPV incidents, NIAAA
- 60-80% of child abusers also abuse their partner, Child Welfare Info
- Abusers often have criminal histories: 50-75% prior arrests, DOJ
- High unemployment correlates with 3x higher perpetration rates, Urban Institute
- 40% of perpetrators exhibit stalking behaviors, CDC NISVS
- Male perpetrators aged 18-34 commit 50% of IPV assaults, BJS NCVS
- Batterers with PTSD 4x more likely to perpetrate, VA study
- 30% of perpetrators have mental health disorders untreated, SAMHSA
- Repeat offenders: 67% reoffend within 2 years post-arrest, BJS
- Abusers controlling finances in 99% of cases, NNEDV
- 16% of perpetrators use weapons in assaults, FBI UCR
- Perpetrators with prior DV convictions 10x more violent, NIJ
- 75% of abusers grew up witnessing DV, ACEs study
- Male batterers average 6 prior arrests, DOJ
- 50% of perpetrators deny abuse occurred, per victim reports, The Hotline
- IPV homicides: 75% by male partners, VPC
- Abusers with substance abuse: 40-60% of cases, CDC
- 62% of perpetrators are employed full-time, BJS
Perpetrator Demographics Interpretation
The numbers paint a grim portrait of intimate partner violence as a predictable, gendered epidemic, meticulously patterned from childhood exposure to a cycle of power, control, and criminality that is statistically mundane yet profoundly destructive.
Prevalence
- According to the CDC's National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS) 2016/2017, approximately 41% of women in the US have experienced some form of contact sexual violence, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime
- The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) reports that from 2003 to 2012, about 70% of female murder victims were killed by an intimate partner or family member
- NCADV states that 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men have experienced some form of physical violence by an intimate partner in the US
- In 2021, the National Domestic Violence Hotline received over 688,000 calls for help
- CDC data shows that 48.4% of women and 48.8% of men have experienced psychological aggression by an intimate partner in their lifetime
- A 2022 study by the Urban Institute found that domestic violence incidents increased by 8.1% during the COVID-19 pandemic in select US cities
- DOJ reports that in 2019, there were approximately 878,000 incidents of intimate partner violence reported to police
- Futures Without Violence notes that 90% of domestic violence occurs when children are present
- The NISVS 2016/2017 reports that 25% of women experienced severe physical violence by an intimate partner
- BJS data indicates that from 1993 to 2008, the rate of intimate partner violence against women declined by 64%
- In the US, 1 in 15 women and 1 in 38 men have been injured as a result of intimate partner violence, per CDC NISVS
- A 2020 report by the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV) states that over 10 million people experience domestic violence annually
- According to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reports (UCR), there were 89,868 reported cases of aggravated assault by intimate partners in 2020
- The Hotline data shows that 74% of callers report emotional abuse as part of their domestic violence experience
- CDC estimates that 35.6% of women have experienced coercive control by an intimate partner
- BJS reports that 80% of intimate partner violence victims are women
- A 2019 study found that 1 in 6 women have been stalked by an intimate partner
- NCADV cites that domestic violence hotlines see a 30% increase in calls during major sports seasons
- In 2018, approximately 20 people per minute are victims of physical violence by an intimate partner in the US, per NCADV
- DOJ data shows that 15% of all violent crime is intimate partner violence
- NISVS reports that 26% of gay men and 37.3% of bisexual men have experienced IPV
- 12% of women and 12.3% of men report being slapped by an intimate partner, per CDC
- BJS notes that nonfatal intimate partner victimization rates were 7.4 per 1,000 females age 12+ in 2021
- Over 60% of domestic violence occurs at home, according to police reports analyzed by DOJ
- CDC NISVS: Lifetime stalking prevalence by intimate partner is 9.2% for women and 2.5% for men
- In 2022, domestic violence accounted for 21% of all violent victimizations, per BJS
- NCADV reports that 1 in 5 women have been physically or sexually abused by a dating partner
- FBI UCR data: Simple assault by intimate partners numbered 589,007 in 2019
- TheHotline.org: 93% of teen boys and 87% of teen girls believe abuse is wrong but don't know it's abuse
Prevalence Interpretation
The grim arithmetic of domestic violence in America reveals a nation where love's battlefield is statistically more dangerous than any foreign war, yet we still treat it as a private skirmish.
Response
- 50 states mandate arrest in DV cases, but conviction rates <20%, NIJ
- Only 34% of IPV victims report to police, BJS NCVS 2021
- 2,000+ DV shelters serve 1.5 million women/children yearly, HHS
- VAWA funded $4.5 billion since 1994 for DV services, DOJ
- Restraining orders issued: 1.5 million annually, but 50% violated, NIJ
- Batterer intervention programs reduce recidivism by 33%, BJS meta-analysis
- Hotline calls: 650,000+ in 2022, answered 92%, The Hotline
- 40 states have mandatory reporting by healthcare, but varies, AMA
- Federal funding for DV: $600 million in FY2022 via OWWP, DOJ
- Prosecution rates: 50-70% of DV arrests lead to charges, BJS
- 85% of counties lack DV services, NCADV
- Fatal Risk Assessment tool used in 20 states reduces lethality 64%, NCADV
- School protocols: 30 states require DV education in curricula, CDC
- Immigrant protections: U/T visas granted to 10,000 DV victims yearly, USCIS
- Prison DV programs serve 100,000 inmates annually, BOP
- 911 calls for DV: 30% of all calls, but only 50% lead to arrest, FBI
- Evidence-based programs: 20% reduction in child exposure via home visits, CDC
- Gun removal laws in 25 states prevent 10% DV homicides, Everytown
- Tech safety: 75% apps misused by abusers, NNEDV
Response Interpretation
We've built an intricate legal and social safety net for domestic violence survivors, yet it remains tragically frayed by low reporting, underfunded services, and the sobering reality that our best interventions are still only catching a fraction of the fall.
Victim Demographics
- Women aged 18-24 experience the highest rates of intimate partner violence at 13.9 per 1,000, per BJS 2020
- Black women are murdered by intimate partners at 2.5 times the rate of white women, according to Violence Policy Center
- CDC NISVS: 44% of lesbian women and 61% of bisexual women experienced IPV
- Hispanic women face IPV at rates 1.3 times higher than non-Hispanic whites, per CDC
- Women with disabilities are 40% more likely to experience IPV, per NCADV
- 85% of domestic violence victims are women, per National Network to End Domestic Violence
- Pregnant women are more likely to be victims of homicide than any other cause of pregnancy-related death, per CDC
- American Indian/Alaska Native women experience murder by intimate partners at 10 times the rate of white women, VPC
- 1 in 3 Asian/Pacific Islander women report IPV, higher than general population, per CDC NISVS
- Women in rural areas experience 25% higher rates of IPV than urban women, per DOJ
- Transgender individuals face IPV at rates 2.2 times higher than cisgender, per National Center for Transgender Equality
- Elderly women over 60 report IPV at 3.5 per 1,000, per BJS
- Low-income women (<$25k/year) have 3x higher IPV rates, CDC data
- 50% of homeless women have fled DV as cause, per US Conference of Mayors
- College women experience dating violence at 27%, per CDC
- Native Hawaiian women have IPV rape prevalence of 50%, highest rate, CDC NISVS
- Women veterans experience IPV at 1.3x civilian rate, VA study
- Immigrant women are 3x less likely to report due to status fears, DOJ
- Battered women in poverty: 60% of victims below poverty line, NCADV
- White women: 35% lifetime IPV, Black: 45%, Hispanic: 37%, per NISVS
- Men aged 18-24 have highest male IPV rate at 10.3 per 1,000, BJS
- 40% of male victims are LGBTQ+, per CDC
- Male victims less likely to seek help: only 10% contact police vs 27% women, BJS
- 1 in 7 men experience severe physical IPV, CDC NISVS
- Gay men: 26% lifetime rape victimization by partner, CDC
- Bisexual men have highest male IPV stalking rate at 23.5%, NISVS
- Male victims of color report higher rates: Black men 1.4x white, DOJ
- 70% of male victims are married or cohabiting, BJS NCVS
- Young men 18-24: 8% annual IPV victimization, CDC
- Rural men face IPV at 15% higher rate due to isolation, Rural Health Info
- Disabled men 1.5x more likely IPV victims, ARC
- 49% of male victims experienced injury from IPV, NISVS
- Elderly men >65: 2% annual IPV rate, higher than expected, NCEA
- Low-income men (<$25k): 2x IPV rate, CDC
- 25% of homeless men cite DV as cause, HUD
Victim Demographics Interpretation
This grim statistical chorus, where every demographic has its own devastating verse, sings a single, brutal truth: in America, violence at home is not a private misfortune but a pervasive, patterned, and profoundly unequal public crisis.
Sources & References
- Reference 1CDCcdc.govVisit source
- Reference 2BJSbjs.ojp.govVisit source
- Reference 3NCADVncadv.orgVisit source
- Reference 4THEHOTLINEthehotline.orgVisit source
- Reference 5URBANurban.orgVisit source
- Reference 6FUTURESWITHOUTVIOLENCEfutureswithoutviolence.orgVisit source
- Reference 7UCRucr.fbi.govVisit source
- Reference 8JUSTICEjustice.govVisit source
- Reference 9VPCvpc.orgVisit source
- Reference 10NNEDVnnedv.orgVisit source
- Reference 11TRANSEQUALITYtransequality.orgVisit source
- Reference 12USMAYORSusmayors.orgVisit source
- Reference 13PTSDptsd.va.govVisit source
- Reference 14RURALHEALTHINFOruralhealthinfo.orgVisit source
- Reference 15THEARCthearc.orgVisit source
- Reference 16NCEAncea.acl.govVisit source
- Reference 17HUDUSERhuduser.govVisit source
- Reference 18NIAAAniaaa.nih.govVisit source
- Reference 19CHILDWELFAREchildwelfare.govVisit source
- Reference 20SAMHSAsamhsa.govVisit source
- Reference 21NIJnij.ojp.govVisit source
- Reference 22OJPojp.govVisit source
- Reference 23NIMHnimh.nih.govVisit source
- Reference 24APAapa.orgVisit source
- Reference 25ACFacf.hhs.govVisit source