Doing the right thing for families and children
is also the doing the right thing for our economy.
Saving lives saves money
Abusers are expensive
When domestic violence perpetrators abuse victims, they also abuse our economic system. Abusers create a cost burden that extends far beyond the duration of the abuse.
The estimated cost that abusers create per victim to our economy averages $103,767 over a lifetime. In fact, the lifetime cost of domestic violence is estimated to be nearly $3.6 trillion in the U.S., including criminal justice costs, medical costs, lost productivity for employers, and other costs, such as property damage, disability, the cost of foster care, and more.
- Medical costs: $2.1 trillion (59% of the total)
- Lost productivity: $1.3 trillion (37% of the total)
- Criminal justice activities: $73 billion (2% of the total)
- Other costs: $62 billion (2% of the total)
Both adult and child victims of domestic abusers experience lifelong impacts.
For children, that represents a greater likelihood of depression, struggling at school or dropping out, use of illicit substances, criminal activity, and more. This occurs not only to children who have experienced direct physical, sexual, or emotional abuse, but also to those who’ve been psychologically abused by being forced to witness the physical, sexual, or emotional abuse of other loved ones in their families.
For adults, this can mean medical costs related to the abuse, loss of employment, the cost of navigating the abuser’s criminal case, the cost of psychological recovery (and that cost for any children), PTSD and other mental health impacts, and more.
Also impacted are employers whose employees cannot report to work, insurance companies paying for injuries created by abusers, law enforcement responding and investigating domestic abuse calls, citizens called to jury duty, prosecution in court, incarceration, and more.
Saving Domestic Violence Victims Saves Money
Domestic violence services reduce the expense of abusers. To avoid escalating negative impacts and costs, taking action to prevent violence and protect victims is less costly than doing nothing and allowing the issues to worsen.
The cost of action is less than the cost of inaction. Domestic violence impacts left unaddressed can grow significantly larger over time, leading to higher costs to resolve the issues later. Taking action early can often prevent larger problems–that are more costly to handle–from developing.
The trauma of domestic violence is generational, as is the cost to the economy. Funding domestic violence service programs that protect families and children is both the morally and the fiscally responsible thing to do.
One study in the state of Washington showed that a program in which social service and welfare officers made early responses to at-risk homes had benefits to society of about 14 times the program’s cost.
Another study demonstrated that if DV programs in the US were to reduce domestic violence by half, we’d be “$230 billion better off every year…nearly 10 times the entire annual Justice Department budget.” In 2023 alone, West Virginia licensed domestic violence service programs served more than 12,000 adult and child victims, representing a huge savings to the state.
The bottom line is that domestic abusers are extremely costly to society, so supporting programs that reduce those costs by taking early, effective action is the smart thing to do. As we reduce incidents of interpersonal violence, we save lives AND money.
$0.1 trillion
Projects completed
The trauma of domestic violence is generational
and so is the cost to our economy.
“A stitch in time
saves nine”
This adage doesn’t just apply to keeping the expense of abusers at a minimum; the concept applies to many scenarios.
- Healthcare:
Early detection and treatment of illnesses (such as through regular screenings or preventive care) produces a higher success rate. It is less costly than waiting to treat illnesses that have already developed to more critical stages. Allowing medical issues to escalate is both costly and dangerous. - Business strategy:
Canny business people make efforts not only to foresee but to prevent potential setbacks, and to handle them before they escalate, or avoid them altogether. Addressing small obstacles early on can prevent problems from becoming larger, more expensive, and more difficult to manage later. Business strategists understand the importance of proactive problem-solving and anticipating challenges before they become resource-consuming crises. - Home maintenance:
Neglecting to properly maintain your home can lead to catastrophic issues. For instance, regularly cleaning out gutters is a small task. But failing to address clogged gutters can mean water damage to your roof, walls, and foundation. If left unaddressed long enough, that “small leak” against the house can turn into much larger problems—leading to black mold, rotted beams, termites attracted to moist wood, and even collapsed ceilings or other structural issues. Keeping your roof in good repair is fiscally responsible adult behavior; it’s better and less expensive in the long run for you, your family, your property values, and even the property values of your whole neighborhood.