Economic Impact of Intimate Partner Violence in Ohio

Ohio experiences a significant economic loss every year due to intimate partner violence, according to a study commissioned by the Ohio Domestic Violence Network (ODVN).

The total annual number of IPV victims in Ohio is estimated to be 188,575. This study, in turn, estimates the total annual economic losses associated with this level of IPV to be $1.2 billion. The costs included in this estimate are loss of life and worker productivity, physical and mental health care, loss of property, prosecution and court costs, incarceration costs, negative lifetime impacts to child welfare, and the costs associated with the dollars spent on various IPV programs, shelters, and centers along with associated volunteer hours. 

The largest measured economic losses for Ohio are those resulting from physical health care ($264.8 million, 22.9%), loss of life ($239.9 million, 20.8%), and loss of worker productivity ($227.7 million, 19.7%). Economic impacts associated with lost worker productivity and loss of life are measured through a loss of labor income to victims due to a temporary or permanent inability to work. As such, these estimates represent a conservative measure of the hidden costs of IPV because they partially capture the extent to which IPV victims are forced to temporarily or permanently adjust their lifestyles.

The ODVN said their request for services is going up, but their federal funding dollars are going down. However, ODVN said they are thankful to the state for providing them with $10 million in funding each year for the next two years. “Please take a minute to compare those numbers. We get $10 million a year to provide services for an issue that costs our state 1.2 billion,” said Mary O’dDoherty, executive director of the ODVN.