Domestic Violence Statistics for Women in the United States

Following is a review some various resources of domestic violence statistics that provide an interesting look at intimate partner abuse of women in the U.S.

First, according to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (known as the NCADV), 1 in 4 women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime.

Further, in the United States an estimated 1.3 million women are victims of physical assault by an intimate partner each year. (NCADV)

New York provides a detailed example and study of domestic violence facts on a state level in the U.S.

In particular, over 400,000 domestic incidents are reported in NY State each year. (DCJS 2005-2006)

In NY State, 50% of all adult women murdered were killed in domestic violence incidents. (DCJS, 2009)

Women were victims in 75% of 81 intimate partner homicides in New York State in 2008. (DCJS, 2009) Presumedly, this would mean that men were killed in 25% of those intimate partner homicides.

One staggering domestic violence statistic is that intimate partner violence accounted for 11% of all homicides that occured in New York State in the year 2008. (DCJS, 2009)

In New York City in 2005, nearly 4,000 women were treated in emergency rooms for injuries they acknowledged were caused by partners in domestic violence. (DCJS, 2007) Note that domestic violence is often hidden because of fear and, thus, the number of emergency room injuries from domestic violence was probably much higher than 4000.

In 2008, New York State Courts issued over 220,000 orders of protection in domestic violence cases. (OCA, 2009)

Here is an executive summary of the United States National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey results. Below are some key domestic violence stats from the report pertaining to the U.S. In most cases, the violence experienced related to an intimate partner or former partner.

  • 18.3% of women and 1.4% of men have been raped
  • 16.2% of women and 5.2% of men have been stalked
  • 35.6% of women and 28.5% of men have experienced domestic violence in some form by an intimate partner.
  • An estimated 1 in 17 women and 1 in 20 men experienced rape, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner in the 12 months prior to taking the survey.

The Take Away

Too many people are suffering from abuse. Our communities need to be proactive. Know the symptoms of domestic violence to recognize whether you or someone you know needs domestic violence help.

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