Women Account for Nearly 78% of Intimate Partner Homicide Victims as Murder-Suicides Rise Across the U.S.

Intimate partner violence remains one of the most persistent forms of violent crime in the United States, with women accounting for the overwhelming majority of people killed by a spouse, former partner or intimate acquaintance.

A study by The Law Offices of Tad Nelson found that women represented 77.9% of intimate partner homicide victims, while men accounted for more than 90% of murder-suicide perpetrators. The research also identified wide state-level differences in domestic violence prevalence and found that Texas recorded the highest number of murder-suicide incidents during the first half of 2025.

The findings show that intimate partner homicide is rarely an isolated event. Many fatal cases are preceded by documented abuse, threats involving firearms, separation attempts, custody disputes or prior contact with law enforcement.

Key Findings

• Nearly four women are killed by an intimate partner every day in the United States.
• More than 2,400 women were killed by men in 2023.
• Nine out of 10 female victims knew the person who killed them.
• Wives or intimate acquaintances represented 57.1% of female victims.
• Women accounted for 77.9% of intimate partner homicide victims.
• Men represented approximately 77% of offenders in violent crimes involving a domestic relationship.
• Women represented approximately 75% of victims in those cases.
• Firearms were used in 64.9% of male-on-female killings in 2023.
• During the first half of 2025, the U.S. recorded 237 murder-suicide events involving 526 victims.
• Texas recorded 29 murder-suicide events, the highest total in the country.
• Children were killed in 16% of murder-suicide incidents.
• The home was the location of 85% of intimate partner murder-suicides.
• Intimate partner violence accounts for approximately 15% of all violent crime.
• From 2020 to 2024, more than 1.1 million people were victims of violent crimes tied to a domestic relationship.

Women Represent Three-Quarters of Domestic Violence Victims

Domestic violence affects both women and men, but the victim and offender data shows a pronounced gender divide.

The data included approximately:

• 844,558 male offenders
• 249,341 female offenders
• 284,118 male victims
• 835,506 female victims

Women were therefore about three times as likely as men to appear as victims in violent offenses involving a domestic relationship.

The divide becomes even more severe in fatal cases. Women accounted for 77.9% of intimate partner homicide victims.

In 2023, more than 2,400 women were killed by men. Among the 2,331 cases in which the victim’s race was known:

White women accounted for approximately 63% of cases with known race, while Black women accounted for about 31%.

Domestic Violence Affects Millions of Americans

An estimated 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner in the United States.

That equals:

• 1,200 people per hour
• 28,800 people per day
• More than 10.5 million people per year

Lifetime prevalence also remains high:

• One in four women experience severe intimate partner violence, sexual violence or violent stalking.
• One in nine men experience the same forms of abuse.
• More than one in three women experience physical violence, rape or stalking by an intimate partner.
• More than one in four men experience those forms of abuse.

Intimate partner violence represents approximately 15% of all violent crime.

From 2020 through 2024:

• 31% of aggravated assault cases were domestic.
• More than 1.1 million people were victims of domestic-related violent crime.
• Nearly 700,000 victims suffered injuries.
• There were 11,466 intimate partner homicide victims.

Firearm Involvement Has Increased Sharply

Firearms are playing a growing role in male-on-female homicide.

The share of women killed by men with a firearm increased from 51% in 2011 to 64.9% in 2023.

That represents an increase of approximately 27% relative to the 2011 level.

An estimated 4.5 million women currently living in the United States have been threatened with a gun by an intimate partner.

The period when a victim attempts to leave is repeatedly identified as one of the most dangerous points in an abusive relationship. One major study found that 44% of women murdered by intimate partners had already left or were attempting to leave.

Oklahoma Recorded the Highest Domestic Violence Rate

The state rankings show that domestic violence prevalence varies significantly.

States highlighted for high domestic violence prevalence

Oklahoma had the highest rate among the states highlighted. Nearly half of women and more than two in five men reported lifetime exposure to intimate partner violence, rape or stalking.

Kentucky ranked second. On a single day in 2019:

• Domestic violence programs served 1,420 survivors.
• Another 128 requests for assistance went unmet.
• Approximately 8.3% of total requests could not be fulfilled because of limited resources.

Missouri recorded more than 45,000 domestic violence incidents in 2018, a 10% increase from 2014.

Nevada domestic violence programs received more than 65,000 contacts in one year, while Arizona recorded 96 domestic violence-related deaths in 2019.

Texas Led Murder-Suicide Incidents

During the first half of 2025, the United States recorded 237 murder-suicide events involving 526 victims.

That equals an average of:

• Approximately 39.5 incidents per month
• About 87.7 victims per month
• Approximately 2.2 victims per incident

Texas recorded 29 incidents, the highest state total.

States with the most murder-suicide events

Texas recorded 12 more incidents than Georgia and 13 more than Florida.

The top four states accounted for 77 incidents, approximately one-third of the national total.

Eight jurisdictions recorded no murder-suicides during the study period:

• Alaska
• Connecticut
• District of Columbia
• Hawaii
• Maine
• North Dakota
• South Dakota
• Utah

Eight other states recorded one incident each.

Murder-Suicides Often Follow Documented Abuse

The perpetrator was known to authorities or had a documented history of abusive behavior in approximately 80% of murder-suicide cases.

Additional patterns include:

• Men committed more than 90% of murder-suicides.
• More than two-thirds followed longstanding intimate partner violence.
• Children were killed in 16% of incidents.
• The home was the location in 80% of all murder-suicides.
• The home was the location in 85% of intimate partner cases.
• One victim was killed in 84% of incidents.
• Two victims were killed in 10%.
• Three or more victims were killed in 6%.

Family murder-suicides are also a major component of mass shootings. When multiple victims are killed in a family setting, the incident frequently involves a current or former intimate partner and may include children or other relatives.

Age Patterns Show Victims and Offenders Concentrated in Early and Middle Adulthood

Domestic violent offenses were most heavily concentrated among adults ages 21 to 40.

Victim totals peaked among people ages 21 to 30, while offender totals peaked among those ages 31 to 40.

In intimate partner murder-suicides, the average offender-victim age difference was 5.2 years. Research indicates that homicide risk rises as the age gap between partners increases.

Adults ages 55 and older represented 25% of murder-suicide offenders, despite accounting for a relatively small share of homicide offenders overall.

Domestic Violence Produces Hundreds of Thousands of Injuries

Domestic aggravated assault, rape and robbery cases produced a wide range of injuries from 2020 through 2024.

More than 300,000 victims suffered injuries beyond the minor category.

The health consequences extend beyond immediate physical trauma. Intimate partner violence has been associated with higher risks of:

• Depression
• Post-traumatic stress disorder
• Anxiety
• Insomnia
• Substance abuse
• Suicidal thoughts and attempts
• Miscarriage
• Stillbirth
• Preterm birth
• Sexually transmitted infections
• Unintended pregnancy

Annual healthcare costs connected to domestic violence exceed $4 billion.

Separation and Custody Disputes Can Increase Risk

Separation is one of the most frequently identified precursors to fatal domestic violence.

Nearly half of family homicides involving multiple victims were connected to prior family court appearances.

The danger can be intensified when courts, evaluators or authorities underestimate abuse allegations. One study found that custody evaluators without domestic violence training believed 40% to 80% of abuse allegations were false.

By comparison, intentionally false child abuse reports accounted for only 0.04% of cases.

The study by The Law Offices of Tad Nelson shows that intimate partner homicide is best understood as the endpoint of a wider pattern. Women are disproportionately victimized, firearms are involved more frequently, and many murder-suicide perpetrators were already known to authorities. The data suggests that earlier intervention, better risk assessment and stronger enforcement could prevent cases from escalating to homicide.