For Release: Wednesday, September 16, 2026
Annual Violence Policy Center Study Released for Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October
Washington, DC — Nine out of 10 Black females murdered by males are killed by someone they know, most often with a gun, according to the new Violence Policy Center (VPC) study When Men Murder Women: An Analysis of 2024 Homicide Data.
The VPC releases the study each year for Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October. The study uses 2024 data, the most recent year for which information is available, and covers homicides involving one female murder victim and one male offender using crime data reported to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
The study found that in 2024, 704 Black females were murdered by males in single victim/single offender incidents at a rate of 2.9 per 100,000. In comparison, the rate for white women murdered by males for that year was 1.2 per 100,000. Nationwide, across all races, 2,381 females were murdered by males in single victim/single offender incidents in 2024, at a rate of 1.4 per 100,000.
VPC Government Affairs Director Kristen Rand states, “Black women consistently have the highest rate of homicide victimization by males. These victims are almost always killed by someone they know, with more than half at the hands of intimate acquaintances. Shockingly, the percentage of Black females killed by males with a gun increased from 51 percent in 2011 to nearly 77 percent in 2024.”
For the year 2024, additional study findings include:
- Black females accounted for 14.1 percent of the female population in the United States, yet 30.3 percent of the females killed by males in single victim/single offender incidents were Black.
- Nine out of 10 Black females were killed by males they knew. Where the relationship could be determined, 89.8 percent of Black females killed by males knew their killers. Of Black female victims who knew their offenders, 53.6 percent were wives, common-law wives, ex-wives, or girlfriends of the offenders. The number of Black females shot and killed by their husband or intimate acquaintance was more than three and a half times as high as the total number murdered by male strangers using all weapons combined in single victim/single offender incidents.
- The percentage of Black females killed by males with a firearm has increased substantially: from 51.3 percent in 2011 to 76.5 percent in 2024. When the murder weapon could be identified, 76.5 percent of Black female victims were shot and killed with guns. Of these, 58.4 percent were killed with a handgun.
- More than 90 percent of Black female homicides were not related to another felony. Where the circumstances between the Black female victim and male offender could be identified, 91.6 percent were not related to the commission of any other felony. Two-thirds of these non-felony related homicides involved arguments between the Black female victim and male offender.
- For homicides where the age of the victim was reported (702 out of 704), 8.8 percent of Black female victims were less than 18 years old and 5.7 percent were 65 years of age or older. The average age of Black female homicide victims was 36.6 years old.
The study calculates the rate of females murdered by males by dividing the total number of females murdered by males in single victim/single offender incidents by the total female population and multiplying the result by 100,000. The rate of Black females murdered by males is calculated by dividing the total number of Black females murdered by males by the total Black female population and multiplying the result by 100,000.
To view the full report, please visit https://vpc.org/publication/when-men-murder-women-an-analysis-of-2024-homicide-data/.
To see previous editions of When Men Murder Women, please click here.
For a slideshow presenting key findings from the study on Black females killed by males, click here.
For social media graphics presenting select study findings, click here.
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The Violence Policy Center is a national educational organization working to stop gun death and injury. Follow the VPC on X/Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and BlueSky.