How many women and men have been killed by an intimate partner over the years? Two federal sources answer that question for different periods. They count in different ways, so their numbers should be read side by side, not joined into one line.
1976-2004: U.S. Department of Justice
The Bureau of Justice Statistics built these yearly counts from police reports sent to the FBI, adjusted for police departments that did not report. They cover the whole country. Our copy does not say whether children are included.
| Year | Women killed | Men killed | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 1,596 | 1,348 | 2,944 |
| 1977 | 1,430 | 1,288 | 2,718 |
| 1978 | 1,480 | 1,193 | 2,673 |
| 1979 | 1,506 | 1,260 | 2,766 |
| 1980 | 1,546 | 1,217 | 2,763 |
| 1981 | 1,567 | 1,268 | 2,835 |
| 1982 | 1,480 | 1,135 | 2,615 |
| 1983 | 1,461 | 1,112 | 2,573 |
| 1984 | 1,439 | 988 | 2,427 |
| 1985 | 1,546 | 956 | 2,502 |
| 1986 | 1,584 | 979 | 2,563 |
| 1987 | 1,486 | 927 | 2,413 |
| 1988 | 1,578 | 848 | 2,426 |
| 1989 | 1,411 | 895 | 2,306 |
| 1990 | 1,493 | 853 | 2,346 |
| 1991 | 1,503 | 773 | 2,276 |
| 1992 | 1,448 | 718 | 2,166 |
| 1993 | 1,571 | 698 | 2,269 |
| 1994 | 1,403 | 684 | 2,087 |
| 1995 | 1,315 | 544 | 1,859 |
| 1996 | 1,310 | 506 | 1,816 |
| 1997 | 1,209 | 445 | 1,654 |
| 1998 | 1,310 | 502 | 1,812 |
| 1999 | 1,204 | 418 | 1,622 |
| 2000 | 1,238 | 425 | 1,663 |
| 2001 | 1,194 | 392 | 1,586 |
| 2002 | 1,193 | 378 | 1,571 |
| 2003 | 1,163 | 371 | 1,534 |
| 2004 | 1,159 | 385 | 1,544 |
| Total | 40,823 | 23,506 | 64,329 |
From 1976 to 2004 the number of victims fell by 1,400 (47.6%). Women killed fell from 1,596 to 1,159; men killed fell from 1,348 to 385.
2005-2017: a gap
We do not show these years. FBI counts exist, but they are not adjusted the way the Justice Department figures were, and the CDC system covered only some states in those years. Putting either beside the other series would suggest changes that did not happen.
2018-2023: CDC
These counts come from the CDC’s National Violent Death Reporting System, which combines death certificates, coroner and medical examiner reports, and police reports. They cover people 18 and older, killed by a current or former spouse or dating partner, in the states that reported that year.
| Year | States reporting* | Women killed | Per 100,000 women 18+ | Men killed | Per 100,000 men 18+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 40 | 907 | 0.96 | 310 | 0.35 |
| 2019 | 43 | 883 | 0.99 | 273 | 0.32 |
| 2020 | 49 | 968 | 0.88 | 358 | 0.34 |
| 2021 | 49 | 1,111 | 0.99 | 356 | 0.33 |
| 2022 | 51 | 1,138 | 0.94 | 372 | 0.32 |
| 2023 | 51 | 1,269 | 1.05 | 350 | 0.30 |
* Includes the District of Columbia. Missing: 2018 – Arkansas, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Wyoming; 2019 – Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Mississippi, New York, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas; 2020 and 2021 – Florida, Hawaii. California, Florida and Texas reported only some counties.
The counts rise from 2018 to 2023 mostly because more states joined. The rate, which takes the number of people into account, stayed close to 1 woman in every 100,000 women each year.
Sources
- U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, “Intimate Homicide Victims by Gender,” 1976-2004, as published on the Silent Witness website (archived October 14, 2012).
- CDC, National Violent Death Reporting System, through WISQARS (wisqars.cdc.gov). Homicide; relationship: spouse or other intimate partner (current or ex); age 18+. Retrieved September-October 2026.