Domestic Violence Statistics

Child protective services nationwide found an estimated 899,000 children to be victims of neglect or abuse in 2005.  (Children's Bureau, "Child Maltreatment, 2005," (Washington, DC:  U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2006), 25, http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/pubs/cm05/cm05.pdf, accessed February 12, 2009.)

In 2005, 289,100 women and 78,180 men were victimized by an intimate partner. (Shannan M. Catalano, "Criminal Victimization, 2005, " 9.)

In 2005, victims experienced 191,670 incidents of rape and sexual assault.  (Ibid., 3.)

In 2005, teenagers (ages 12 to 19) experienced 1.5 million violent crimes; this figure includes 73,354 sexual assaults and rapes.  (Ibid., 7.)

In 2005, 389,100 women and 78,180 men were victimixed by an intimate partner.  This crimes account for 9 percent of all violent crime.  (Ibid., 9)

A recent study found that in states with laws restraining abusers from possessing firearms, intimate partner homicide rates decreased by 9 to 12 percent.  These laws were most effective when states cross-checked restraining orders with firearm purchases.  (Elizabeth R. Vigdor and James A. Mercy, "Disarming Batterers," in Evaluating Gun Policy, eds. Jens O. Ludwig and Philip J. Cook (Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press, 2003).)

The direct cost of child abuse and neglect in the United States totals more than $24 billion annually.  When factoring in indirect costs, the figure rises to more than $94 billion annually.  (Suzette Fromm, "Total Estimated Cost of Child Abuse and Neglect," (Washington, DC:  Prevent Child Abuse America, 2001), 2,3, http://www.preventchildabusenj.org/documents/index/cost_analyst.pdf, accessed August 10, 2007.)

A study of sexual assault of adult males found that more than 10 percent of male victims had cognitive disabilities.  (Stermac et al., "Stranger and Acquaintance Sexual Assault of Adult Males," Journal of Interpersonal Violence 19 (2004): 8.)

In a national survey of domestic violence and rape-crisis agencies, 67 percent of the survey participants reported that their center had served people with mental illness over the past year.  Despite the high incidence of violence against people with disabilities, few participants reported that their center served people with cognitive disabilities (7 percent), with physical disabilities (6percent), or who are blind, deaf, or have hearing loss (1 percent).  (Michelle Schwartz, Wendie H. Abramson, and Heather A. Kamper, "A National Violence and Sexual Assault Services to Women with Disabilities," (Austin, TX: Working Paper, SafePlace, 2004).)

More than one million women and almost 400,000 men are stalked annually in the United States.  (Patricia Tjaden and Nancy Thoennes, "Stalking in America:  Findings from the National Violence Against Women Survey," (Washington, DC: National Institute of Justice, U.S. Department of Justice, 1998), 2, http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles/169592. pdf, accessed August 8, 2007.)

Approximately 1 in 5 high school girls reported being abused by a boyfriend.  (Jay Silverman et al., "Dating Violence Against Adolescent Girls and Associated Substance Use, Unhealthy Weight Control, Sexual Risk Behavior, Pregnancy, and Suicidality," JAMA (2001): 572-79.)

In 2006, lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender people (LGBT) experienced 3,534 incidents of domestic violence.  Four of these incidents resulted in murder.  (National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs, "Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Domestic Violence," (New York: National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs, 2007), 5, 18, http://www.avp.org, accessed August 6, 2007.)

Domestic Violence is the leading cause of serious injury to American women, more common than muggings and car crashes combined.  (Stark, E. and Flitcraft, A.  “Spouse Abuse,” in Surgeon General’s Workshop on Violence and Public Health:  Source Book.  Leesburg, VA.  October 1985  Atlanta:  Center for Disease Control)

A woman is battered every 15 seconds in the U.S.  (FBI Uniform Crime Reports, 1991)

Every year between 2 and 4 million American women are battered by their husbands or boyfriends.  (Novello, Antonia C. “From the Surgeon General, U.S. Public Health Service, A Medical Response to Domestic Violence, “Journal of the American Medical Association, June 17, 1992)

At least 25% of domestic violence victims are pregnant when beaten.  (Helton, A., McFarlane, J. and Anderson, E. Prevention of Battering During:  Focus on Behavioral Change.  Public Health Nursing, Vol. 4 (3), September 1987)

More than 1 in 3 Americans have witnessed an incident of domestic violence.  (Family Violence Prevention Fund.  Men Beating Women:  Ending Domestic Violence, A Qualitative and Quantitative Study of Public Attitudes on Violence Against Women.  New York:  Conducted by EDK Associates, 1993)

Nearly half of all incidents of domestic violence against women discovered in the National Crime Survey (48%) were not reported to police.  (Langan, P.A. and Inns, C.A.  Preventing Domestic Violence Against Women.  Washington, DC:  U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 1986)

Approximately 3.3 million children witness violence towards their mothers each year.  (Carlson, B.E. “Children’s Observations of Interpersonal Violence.”  In Battered Women and Their Families:  Intervention Strategies and Treatment Programs.  New York:  Springer Publishing, 1984)

Violent youth are four times more likely to come from homes in which their fathers beat their mothers than are nonviolent youth.  (Lewis, Dorothy, et. Al.  “Homicidally Aggressive Young Children:  Neuropsychiatric and Experiential Correlates.”  In American Journal of Psychiatry, Vol. 140(2), February 1983)

Domestic Violence is repetitive in nature: about one in five women victimized by their spouse or ex-souse reported that they had been a victim of a series of at least three assaults in the last six months.  (Zawitz, M., et. Al. Highlights from 20 Years of Surveying Crime Victims:  The National Crime Victimization Survey, 1973-92.  Washington, DC:  U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, October 1993)

Women are most likely to be murdered when attempting to report abuse or to leave an abusive relationship.  (Browne, A.  When Battered Women Kill, New York:  Free Press, 1987)

Four women are killed every day in America by a husband or boyfriend.  (Stout, Karen.  Intimate Femicide:  A National Demographic Overview,” Violence Update, Vol. 1 (6), February 1991)

Forty-two percent of murdered women are killed by their intimate partners.  (Data from FBI’s 1988-91 Uniform Crime Reports.  Analysis by the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, Institute for Behavioral Science at the University of Colorado)

Home        Back

 Home      Contact Us        General        About Missouri Shores & Programs    Children        Dating Violence        Elderly        Employment

Calendar          Press           Protect Yourself Online          Rape           Questionnaires            How You Can Help

Updated 17 February 2011

© 2009-2011 Missouri Shores Domestic Violence Center

All Rights Reserved