Domestic Violence Is a Factor in 42% of Violent Interpersonal Crimes Reported in North Carolina

Domestic and family violence continues to stand as a top contributor to violent interpersonal crime in North Carolina, accounting for the majority of murders of women and girls in the state and more than half of reported kidnappings and simple assaults, according to a report released this week by the Criminal Justice Analysis Center.

Analysts reviewed data submitted to the National Incident-Based Reporting System by North Carolina law enforcement agencies as they documented crimes against persons, a category that includes reports of homicide; assault or intimidation; kidnapping or abduction; human trafficking; and sexual offenses.

From 2020 to 2025, as overall violent interpersonal crime hit a pandemic-era peak and then declined, the number of domestic and family violence reports held steady.

In 2025, more than 63,000 people in North Carolina reported they were victims of a crime committed by current or former spouses, partners or family members, according to the report. Women, Black people and adults aged 25 to 34 were the groups most frequently identified as victims in domestic violence reports.

"Domestic violence scars communities," said Caroline Farmer, executive director of the Governor's Crime Commission. "These insights will provide a foundation for discussions about prevention and intervention, as well as our strategy to maintain North Carolina's capacity to meet the needs of victims."

Organizations that provide victim services across the state have reported strained budgets due to nationwide decreases in federal Victim of Crime Act funding. The Governor's Crime Commission administers this money for the state. This year North Carolina received $41.5 million to distribute to victim services providers, down from a peak of $103 million in 2018.

"The NC Department of Public Safety and the Governor's Crime Commission are committed to reducing violence in our communities and supporting victims," said Public Safety Interim Secretary Casandra Hoekstra. "When resources become constrained, we remain focused on gathering information and working with our partners to support informed decisions that improve public safety."

Read the "Justice Analysis Review: Reported Domestic and Family Violence in North Carolina" on the ncdps.gov website.

The Criminal Justice Analysis Center sits within the Governor's Crime Commission in the NC Department of Public Safety and serves as the state's federally designated statistical analysis center. CJAC compiles statewide data on crime, criminal justice system activity and deaths in custody. It also coordinates with state agencies that collect data relevant to public safety and publishes data-driven analyses that inform conversations among the public, the Governor's Crime Commission and other criminal justice partners.

CJAC provides public access to crime and criminal justice data at the state and county level via the N.C. Justice Data Portal and leads an advisory group focused on the alignment and analysis of multiagency justice data sources in the state of North Carolina.