The total costs associated with nonfatal injuries and deaths due to violence in 2000 were more than $70 billion. Most of this cost ($64.8 billion or 92%) was due to lost productivity. However, an estimated $5.6 billion was spent on medical care for the more than 2.5 million injuries due to interpersonal and self-directed violence. The estimates reported here provide evidence of the large health and economic burden of violence in the United States.
Violence-Related Injury in America
* Violence causes approximately 50,000 deaths each year and results in over 2.5 million injuries.
* Homicide and suicide are the second and third leading causes of death, respectively, among Americans aged 15-34.
* Hospital emergency departments treat an average 55 people for injuries every minute.
Costs of Violence-Related Injury in America
* Americans suffer 16,800 homicides and 2.2 million medically treated injuries due to interpersonal violence annually, at a cost of $37 billion ($33 billion in productivity losses, $4 billion in medical treatment).
* The cost of self-inflicted injuries (suicide and attempted suicide) is $33 billion annually ($32 billion in productivity losses, $1 billion in medical costs).
* People aged 15 to 44 years comprise 44 percent of the population, but account for nearly 75 percent of injuries and 83 percent of costs due to interpersonal violence.
Result of Violence-Related Injury
* The average cost per homicide was $1.3 million in lost productivity and $4,906 in medical costs.
* The average cost per case for a non-fatal assault resulting in hospitalization was $57,209 in lost productivity and $24,353 in medical costs.
* The average cost per case of suicide is $1 million lost productivity and $2,596 in medical costs.
* The average cost for a non-fatal self inflicted injury was $9,726 in lost productivity and $7,234 in medical costs.
* Economic costs provide, at best, an incomplete measure of the toll of violence. Victims of violence are more likely to experience a broad range of mental and physical health problems not reflected in these estimates
from post-traumatic stress disorder to depression, cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
Source: American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 2007: 32(6): 474-482.
Source: Centers for Disease Control via & Basefsky's IWS Documented News Service
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