exposure TO domestic violence
People have a right to protection from domestic and family violence and sexual assault. Below you can find data sources to help determine your exposure and related resources.
Domestic violence is a crime that is under-reported and misunderstood, defined by patterns of harmful, coercive behavior, used to control intimate partners. Children and others in the home (i.e. elders) are also endangered and severely impacted by domestic violence.
Domestic violence is the willful intimidation, physical assault, battery, sexual assault, and/or other abusive behaviors, as part of a systematic pattern of power and control, perpetrated by one intimate partner against another. Domestic violence includes direct assault, threats, stalking and harassment, emotional/psychological abuse, economic abuse, and cyber-abuse. In the United States,1 in 4 women (23%) and 1 in 10 men (14%) have experienced severe intimate partner physical violence, intimate partner sexual violence, and/or intimate partner stalking with impacts including injuries, post-traumatic stress disorder, and need for victim services. See Domestic Violence Info for more information on types of abuse.
STATE Data
The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV) provides national and State by State Domestic Violence Statistics to assess how domestic violence impacts your area, as well as State Coalitions Contacts.
CDC National Intimate Partner & Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS): ongoing, nationally representative survey that gathers data on the national prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV), sexual violence (SV), and stalking among women and men in the U.S. NISVS collects lifetime and 12-month prevalence data, describes who is most likely to experience these forms of violence, as well as information on the impacts and health consequences associated with this.
These resources are meant to be used as a baseline approach for understanding the nature and susceptibility of domestic and sexual violence.
For community-level data, we recommend reaching out to your local police department or other law enforcement agency. These institutions are required to collect and obtain publicly available data.
You may also reach out to the Department of Public Safety in your state, or your local hospital system for public health data.
Many states have a DV Task Force housed in the Governor’s Office or Attorney General’s Office. See the Violence Data page for more information.
Nationwide, domestic violence accounts for over 20% of all violent crime. And while approximately 25% of women will experience this violence, only 2% to 15% of women will report it. Learn how to report domestic violence in your area using the following:
Resources by State: local domestic violence programs and shelters, legal assistance organizations, courthouse locations where you can file for a protection order, sheriff departments
National Victim Services Directory: search by location, type of victimization, service provided
Note: some local police departments have victim services units with officers who have specialized training in IPV (Intimate Partner Violence) and social workers who can connect survivors with support services
National DV Hotline Directory of Assistance Providers: find emergency financial, food, and transportation assistance, transitional housing, health services, childcare, legal help, case management, counseling, etc.
Can also search by special populations (LGBTQ+, ethnicity, religion, etc.)
County-Level Data
SC Intimate Partners Victims of Violent Crime by County
AL Domestic Violence Crimes by County
FL Domestic Violence by County
GA Commission on Family Violence
KY Domestic Violence Data Report by Area
MS Attorney General’s Office- MSDVR Reporting System
NC Report on Domestic Violence Related Homicides
NC Sexual Assault Kit Tracking Live Dashboard
TN Domestic Violence Report by Region
See Plain Language Laws by State to understand state versus federal law, restraining orders/orders of protection, harassment, stalking, suing abusers, custody, divorce, etc.
See Access to Legal Services for more information on legal assistance
Poverty is a primary driver in the continuation of an abuser maintaining power and control over a survivor of domestic violence. If survivors of domestic violence have resources to safely leave a relationship, and land in safe, affordable housing with a means to care for themselves and their children, they are more likely to escape further abuse. Individuals with low to no income in a domestic violence situation, particularly with children, rarely have the resources they need to break free from the violence.
Having low to no income does not cause domestic violence.
The intersection of poverty and domestic violence can, however, 1) exacerbate abuse impact, 2) cause an exceptional loss of resources for the survivor, and 3) lessen positive outcomes for a survivor. Poverty entraps the survivor and often lengthens the process of escape. The intersection of poverty and DV further endangers survivors, their children and communities as a whole. Outcomes for women of color and immigrants are even more grave because safety net systems often ignore their needs.
Approximately 1 in 5 female victims and 1 in 20 male victims need medical care, yet only 34% of people who are injured by intimate partners receive medical care for their injuries.
Victims of intimate partner violence are often at an increased risk of contracting HIV or other STI’s due to forced intercourse and/or prolonged exposure to stress, as well as damage to sexual and reproductive health (i.e. vaginal, anal, or urethral trauma, early and/or unwanted pregnancy).
Victims of IPV also often endure severe psychological and mental stress and may need psychiatric care and/or therapy and counseling.
Research shows that the inability to access affordable, reliable, and flexible child care can keep DV survivors out of the workforce, force them to remain with abusive partners for financial stability, and endanger the health, safety, and wellbeing of their children.
See Futures Without Violence for more information.