The following resources provide national, State, and local statistics on the prevalence of domestic violence in the general population, as well as for those involved with the child welfare system.
Children's Direct Exposure to Types of Domestic Violence Crime: A Population-Based Investigation (PDF - 186 KB)
Fantuzzo & Fusco
Journal of Family Violence, 22(7), 2007
Presents results of a study collecting data on children exposed to domestic violence across an entire municipality for 1 year.
Estimating the Number of American Children Living in Partner-Violent Families (PDF - 62 KB)
McDonald, Jouriles, Ramisetty-Mikler, Caetano, & Green
Journal of Family Psychology, 20(1), 2006
Estimates the number of American children living in partner-violent families using a nationally representative sample of dual-parent households.
Family Violence Statistics: Including Statistics on Strangers and Acquaintances
Bureau of Justice Statistics (2005)
Compares family and nonfamily violence statistics from victimization through the different stages of the justice system.
Get the Facts
Family Violence Prevention Fund
Presents statistics on the prevalence of domestic violence in the United States, including several topical factsheets.
Incidence and Prevalence of Children Exposed to Violence: A Research Review (PDF - 146 KB)
Edmond, Fitzgerald, & Kracke (2005)
Explores the incidence of children who are exposed to violence and the impact of this exposure on child development.
Parent and Partner Violence in Families With Young Children: Rates, Patterns, and Connections (PDF - 115 KB)
Slep & O'Leary
Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 73(3), 2005
Presents a study finding strong connections between partner aggression and parent aggression toward children among 453 representatively sampled families with young children.
The Prevalence of Violent Disagreements in US Families: Effects of Residence, Race/Ethnicity, and Parental Stress
Moore, Probst, Tompkins, Cuffe, & Martin
Pediatrics, 119, 2007
Estimates the prevalence of reported violent disagreements in the homes of U.S. children and assesses prevalence differences by race/ethnicity, residence, and reported parenting stress.
Statistics: Children Exposed to Intimate Partner Violence (PDF - 184 KB)
National Resource Center on Domestic Violence (2002)
Presents statistics in five categories: prevalence of children's exposure, effects of exposure on children and youth, gender-specific effects, traumatic response, and protective factors.
Where Do "Domestic Violence" Statistics Come From and Why Do They Vary So Much? (PDF - 761 KB)
National Healthy Marriage Resource Center & National Resource Center on Domestic Violence (2009)
Clarifies the misunderstandings, errors, and contradictions surrounding the use of the term "domestic violence" when working in the field, and how they affect data quality and accuracy.