Domestic Violence Arizona Statistics: 71 Lives Lost in 2025, and What the Numbers Leave Out

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Every number in this story was a person. Someone's mother, son, sister, neighbor. We aren't naming anyone or describing any case here; we're looking at what the domestic violence Arizona statistics for 2025 say, what they leave out, and what you can do with them.

Domestic violence Arizona statistics for 2025, in plain numbers

Seventy-one people in Arizona were killed in domestic violence homicides last year, and most of them lived in the Valley. That's the headline, and it should make you angry. But numbers like these only help if we read them carefully, so we'll show exactly where each one comes from, what it counts and what it doesn't. Then we'll end where every story like this should end: with who to call and how to help.

In 2025, 71 Arizonans were killed in domestic violence-related homicides, and 70% of those deaths happened in Maricopa County, according to ACESDV. The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors cited both figures on October 1, 2026, when it proclaimed October Domestic Violence Awareness Month (Maricopa County, 2026).

"Each number represents a human life, and often an entire family," Supervisor Thomas Galvin said in that proclamation (same source).

A year earlier, the same county proclamation cited ACESDV's count for 2024: 61 Arizonans killed in domestic violence-related homicides, 56% of them in Maricopa County (Maricopa County, 2025). So from 2024 to 2025, the statewide count rose by 10 deaths, and a larger share of them happened in the state's most populous county.

Domestic violence homicides Arizona 2025 versus earlier years

Is it getting worse? Honestly, it depends which years you line up, and which report you're reading.

ACESDV has tracked these deaths for years. Its 2023 Domestic Violence Fatality Report documented 84 known domestic violence-related fatalities in Arizona that year, and 1,543 domestic violence-related deaths from 2009 to 2023 (ACESDV, 2024). Reporting on that report noted the 2023 total was down from 101 in 2022 and 94 in 2021, and that 69 of the 84 people who caused those deaths were men (ABC15, 2024).

Be careful comparing these years side by side. The fatality reports count every death connected to domestic violence, which can include more than the homicide victims alone. The 2024 and 2025 figures are described as homicides. Different counts, different questions.

So here's what we can say with a straight face: the homicide count went up between 2024 and 2025, and the share in Maricopa County jumped. Here's what we can't say: that Arizona is in a new, worse era than 2022. The data doesn't line up neatly enough to tell us that, and anyone who claims otherwise is guessing.

Maricopa County domestic violence: the local picture

Seven in ten. That's how many of 2025's deaths happened in one county (Maricopa County, 2026). Maricopa is home to most Arizonans, so a big share isn't surprising on its own. The jump from 56% to 70% in a single year is what stands out.

For a closer look at Maricopa County domestic violence, the most detailed recent public numbers come from the state's largest city. The City of Phoenix Domestic Violence Fatality Review Team's 2025 report, citing the Phoenix Police Department's 2024 statistics, found the following (City of Phoenix, 2025):

Read that table top to bottom and you can watch the numbers shrink. Tens of thousands of calls. Thousands of arrests. Nineteen deaths. Each step down is a point where someone stepped in, or didn't.

That review team's report also recommended expanding domestic violence awareness campaigns and researching a tougher sentence for homicides motivated by domestic violence (same source). Whether those ideas go anywhere depends on whether the people who vote on budgets keep hearing about them. We'd add one more idea of our own: publish the 2025 breakdowns. Families, advocates and voters can't push for the right fixes if the details stay in a drawer.

The calls behind the numbers

Deaths are the hardest number, but they're the smallest one. Far more people reach out for help and live, and their calls tell us where the system is straining right now, not years from now.

• 25,345 calls to state-funded domestic violence hotlines in Arizona's 2025 state fiscal year, and 4,489 adults and children in emergency shelter (Arizona DES, 2025).
• 4,863 calls, chats, texts and emails to ACESDV's statewide helpline in 2024 (Maricopa County, 2025), and 1,655 in just January to June 2026 (Maricopa County, 2026).
• 189 requests for help that went unmet in a single day, September 10, 2025, about 86% of them for housing (NNEDV, 2025).

That last number matters, because housing is often the thing that makes leaving possible. And since May 2026, Maricopa County no longer has a central line for finding a shelter bed. We explained what happened, and who to call now, in our guide to the domestic violence hotline Maricopa County survivors lost.

What the 2025 data doesn't show yet

Searching for domestic violence homicides Arizona 2025 data mostly turns up two numbers: the total and the Maricopa County share. As of October 20, 2026, that's all that's public. We found no published breakdown of the 2025 deaths by the victim's sex, the weapon used, the relationship between the people involved, or whether children were present. We aren't going to guess.

Two more limits are worth knowing. ACESDV's fatality reports are built from news coverage, so they "capture only those fatalities reported in media publications" (ACESDV, 2024). Deaths that never made the news may be missing. And a homicide count tells you nothing about the far larger number of people living with abuse that never turns deadly, or hasn't yet.

Why does that matter for you? Because policy follows data. When a legislator asks whether gun access or strangulation showed up in Arizona's 2025 cases, the honest answer right now is "we don't know yet." That makes it harder to argue for specific fixes, and easier for budget writers to shrug.

The most important domestic violence Arizona statistics may be the ones nobody has counted.

How to read a domestic violence statistic without getting fooled

You'll see these numbers on social media all month, often stripped of their source. A few habits help. First, check what's being counted: homicides, all deaths, calls, reports and arrests are five different things, and a viral graphic can blur them into one scary total. Second, check the year. A 2023 fatality figure and a 2025 homicide figure aren't the same measure, as the table above shows. Third, check the place. Phoenix numbers are one city; Maricopa County numbers add every other city and town around it; statewide numbers cover everyone.

And then sit with the part no chart captures. A call for service is a night someone was scared enough to dial. A shelter stay is a family starting over with whatever fit in the car. The domestic violence Arizona statistics we have are a floor, not a ceiling.

Warning signs research links to lethal risk

Researchers who study intimate partner homicide, led by Jacquelyn Campbell at Johns Hopkins University, have found that certain factors show up again and again before a partner kills. Her team's review of the research named these among the strongest (Campbell et al., 2007):

Campbell's work is the basis of the Danger Assessment, a questionnaire advocates use to help survivors understand their risk. If any of these signs are part of your life or a friend's, an advocate can walk through a safety plan with you. Leaving is often the most dangerous time, so planning it with someone trained matters. "The most dangerous time for a survivor of domestic violence is when they decide to leave or seek help," A New Leaf's Tanner Swanson said this year (KJZZ, 2026).

Where to get help

• In an emergency, call 911. National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233, or text START to 88788. Free, confidential, 24 hours (ArizonaSurvivors.org, 2026).
• Arizona Sexual and Domestic Violence Helpline: (602) 279-2980 or 1-800-782-6400. Phone, text and chat on weekdays (same source).

In Maricopa County, call shelters directly; our hotline guide above lists every number, which pets each shelter accepts, and what to do if the first place you call is full. Our A New Leaf spotlight covers one Mesa organization's services in detail, from shelter to court advocacy. You don't need to be sure it's "bad enough" to call. Advocates talk with people every day who aren't sure yet.

How to help

Feeling helpless after reading all this? Fair. Here's where that feeling can go.

• Learn the warning signs above, and believe people when they tell you something is wrong.
• Give to a local shelter or to ACESDV. ACESDV's CEO has said 87% of Arizona's domestic violence funding comes from the federal government, and some of that money has run out (Phoenix New Times, 2026).
• Ask your lawmakers what they're doing about shelter funding. Find your state legislators at azleg.gov.

Volunteering helps too. Many shelters need people for donation drives, events and office work, not only crisis calls. And if someone you love is in a relationship that scares you, the most useful thing is often the simplest: tell them you're worried, tell them you'll be there, and keep showing up even when they aren't ready to leave.

For the federal laws that protect survivors, including the Violence Against Women Act, read our plain-language guide to women's rights in the United States.

Questions people ask

What do the domestic violence Arizona statistics for 2025 show?

According to the Arizona Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence, 71 Arizonans were killed in domestic violence-related homicides in 2025, up from 61 in 2024. Seventy percent of the 2025 deaths happened in Maricopa County.

Where do the domestic violence homicides Arizona 2025 figures come from?

The count comes from ACESDV and was cited by the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors on October 1, 2026. ACESDV's fatality tracking relies on deaths reported in the news, so some deaths may be missing. A detailed 2025 breakdown has not been published.

Is Maricopa County domestic violence getting worse?

The share of Arizona's domestic violence homicides that happened in Maricopa County rose from 56% in 2024 to 70% in 2025. Two years of data is not enough to call it a trend, and homicides are only a small part of the abuse that happens.

How many Maricopa County domestic violence calls do Phoenix police get?

Phoenix police logged 33,408 domestic violence calls for service in 2024 and wrote 23,889 domestic violence reports, according to the City of Phoenix Domestic Violence Fatality Review Team's 2025 report. The city recorded 19 domestic violence homicides that year.

Do domestic violence Arizona statistics show which warning signs are most dangerous?

Not yet for 2025, since no breakdown has been published. National research led by Jacquelyn Campbell found the strongest risk factors for intimate partner homicide include past abuse, access to a gun, separation, threats to kill and past strangulation. An advocate can help you make a safety plan.

Who can I call about Maricopa County domestic violence now that SafeDVS has closed?

Call 911 in an emergency. The National Domestic Violence Hotline is 1-800-799-7233 (text START to 88788), 24 hours, and the Arizona Sexual and Domestic Violence Helpline is 1-800-782-6400 on weekdays. For a shelter bed, call Maricopa County shelters directly.

References

• ABC15. (2024). Report highlights the deadly toll of domestic violence in Arizona. https://www.abc15.com/news/local-news/report-highlights-the-deadly-toll-of-domestic-violence-in-arizona
• Arizona Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence. (2024). ACESDV releases 2023 domestic violence fatality report. https://acesdv.org/press-release-arizona-coalition-to-end-sexual-and-domestic-violence-acesdv-releases-2023-domestic-violence-fatality-report/
• Arizona Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence. (2026). Connect with someone. ArizonaSurvivors.org. https://arizonasurvivors.org/support-for-survivors/connect-with-someone/
• Arizona Department of Economic Security. (2025). SFY 2025 Domestic Violence Services Fund report. https://des.az.gov/sites/default/files/media/SFY_2025_Domestic_Violence_Services_Fund_Report_Narrative.pdf
• Campbell, J. C., Glass, N., Sharps, P. W., Laughon, K., & Bloom, T. (2007). Intimate partner homicide: Review and implications of research and policy. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 8(3). https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/intimate-partner-homicide-review-and-implications-research-and
• City of Phoenix Domestic Violence Fatality Review Team. (2025). 2025 report. City of Phoenix. https://www.phoenix.gov/content/dam/phoenix/humanservicessite/documents/fac/DVFRT%20Report%202025%20FINAL%20PDF.pdf
• KJZZ. (2026, April 30). Maricopa County domestic violence hotline is shutting down. It puts more pressure on shelters. https://www.kjzz.org/the-show/2026-04-30/maricopa-county-domestic-violence-hotline-is-shutting-down-it-puts-more-pressure-on-shelters
• Maricopa County. (2025, October 1). Board calls for end to domestic and intimate partner violence. https://www.maricopa.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=3472
• Maricopa County. (2026, October 1). Board renews commitment to helping end domestic violence. https://www.maricopa.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=3824
• National Network to End Domestic Violence. (2026). 20th annual domestic violence counts report: Arizona summary (2025 data). https://nnedv.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20th-Annual-DV-Counts-Report-Arizona-Summary.pdf
• Phoenix New Times. (2026). Crucial Maricopa County domestic violence hotline will go dark. https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/maricopa-county-domestic-violence-hotline-will-go-dark-40661751/