Domestic Violence Kills: The Alarming Silence in America’s Most Privileged Communities

Cities across the United States have seen historic drops in homicides, but a more insidious trend persists: domestic violence killings remain stubbornly high and often go unaddressed in some of the country’s most affluent communities. While policymakers focus on national declines in violent crime, they overlook the fact that domestic violence is not just a “criminal issue” – it’s a symptom of deeper societal rot.

In Chicago, for example, homicides tied to domestic violence increased by 15% between 2024 and 2025, despite overall homicide rates plummeting from 805 in 2021 to 425 in 2025. Similarly, in Kansas City, Missouri, the second deadliest year on record for domestic violence killings coincided with a decline in general homicides since 2023. Ohio’s numbers tell a similar story: 2025 was the deadliest year for domestic violence killings, while overall homicides followed the national trend.

A 2026 FBI report reveals that the share of violent crimes involving domestic violence has increased from 25% in 2020 to 27.5% in 2024. Meanwhile, national non-profit groups like the National Domestic Violence Hotline are struggling to keep up with demand for services. The hotline received over 637,000 calls in 2020 and a staggering one million in 2025 – a nearly 60% increase.

The resources to prevent these tragedies are well-known: housing, legal support, education on healthy relationships, and conflict resolution. However, Nikhita Ved, chief programs officer for the National Domestic Violence Hotline, notes that the resources to prevent such tragedies are not funded at a level matching the scale of need. This is particularly concerning given recent cuts in grants from research institutions and domestic violence prevention non-profits during the second Trump administration. The proposed 2027 budget includes a nearly $30m reduction in funding for grant programs supporting transitional housing and legal assistance.

The implications are far-reaching: as funding dwindles, so do the services that can provide critical support to victims of domestic violence. Non-profits are forced to decrease their workforce, leaving vulnerable populations without access to essential resources. This is a particularly dire concern in states like Louisiana, where Raj notes that “our ability to backstop funding that’s been lost has a really chilling effect on our ability to provide resources.”

The White House’s response to these concerns has been inadequate. Instead of addressing the root causes of domestic violence – stalking, controlling behavior, and threats to harm one’s partner or themselves – they focus on deportations and human-trafficking rings. This framing is misguided and obscures complex issues at play.

Anita Raj warns that this approach focuses on “the tip of the iceberg” – extreme cases receiving media attention – while ignoring more insidious forms of domestic violence. It’s a silence that speaks volumes about our society’s priorities: we are far more willing to discuss deportations than tackle systemic issues driving domestic violence.

The solution requires a fundamental shift in how we approach this issue, prioritizing education, resources, and support for victims of domestic violence. Early signs of abuse often go ignored or downplayed: fear, threats of violence, hitting, and choking. It’s time to start talking about these behaviors as the warning signs they are.

The next time policymakers tout their commitment to reducing violent crime, let us remember that domestic violence kills – and it’s not just a numbers game.