Black Femicide: State-by-State Disparities

The national femicide rate masks extreme variation between states. In Wisconsin, Black women died by femicide at 20 times the rate of white women in 2019–2020. In 10 states, that disparity grew worse over two decades. Geography is not incidental. It reflects concentrated structural racism.

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Wisconsin: The Highest Rate of Black Femicide in the USA
• State-By-State: Black Femicide in the USA at a Glance
• States Getting Worse vs. Better
• Structural Racism Drives State Disparities
• What State-Level Data Reveals
• Data Methodology Notes
• References

Introduction

The national average tells only part of the story. Black women faced higher femicide rates than white women in every one of the 30 states analyzed. However, the degree of disparity varied dramatically. Some states recorded a 2-to-1 ratio. Others exceeded 20-to-1. That variation is not random. It tracks directly with measures of concentrated disadvantage, racial economic inequality, and structural racism.

Furthermore, the trend lines reveal an equally disturbing pattern. In 10 states, the disparity grew larger over the 20 years of the study. In only six states did it shrink. Consequently, two decades of declared public health effort produced measurable improvement for less than a quarter of analyzed states.

Wisconsin: The Highest Rate of Black Femicide in the USA

Wisconsin records the largest racial disparity in femicide of any state studied. Black women in Wisconsin were 20 times more likely to die by femicide than white women in 2019–2020. That figure represents a dramatic escalation. In 1999–2003, the ratio stood at 6-to-1. Therefore, Wisconsin’s disparity more than tripled over two decades.

Furthermore, Wisconsin ranked 49th out of 50 states for racial economic equality in 2023. Researchers identify this correlation as central. Concentrated disadvantage drives femicide risk. Wisconsin demonstrates that relationship at its most extreme.

State-By-State: Black Femicide in the USA at a Glance

The Columbia/Lancet study examined 30 states with sufficient data for analysis. Every state showed Black women at higher risk than white women. However, the chart below reveals the full range of disparity. High-disparity states cluster in the Midwest and South. Researchers identify these regions as areas of concentrated disadvantage with high proportions of people experiencing low socioeconomic status.

Moreover, four states–Wisconsin, Missouri, Arizona, and Oklahoma–recorded more than 15 additional Black women dead per 100,000 compared to white women in 2019–2020. The statistical reality demonstrates a specific and measurable failure of structural protection.

States Getting Worse vs. Better

Across 20 years of data, the trend lines reveal two Americas. In 10 states, racial disparities in femicide grew larger. In six states, they shrank. Eight states showed no significant change. The states that improved share a common thread. Each enacted targeted legislation or expanded domestic violence services for Black communities. The states that worsened share a different common denominators: concentrated poverty, weakened social infrastructure, and limited political will to address racial inequity.

“The greatest inequities are in areas of the country where concentrated disadvantage is pronounced. These trends reflect systems that have long disserviced communities of colour, and underscore that sustained investment and vision to support underserved communities are critical to reverse racial injustices.”

— Dr. Katherine Keyes, PhD, Senior Author. Colombia University Mailman School of Public Health, The Lancet (2024)

Structural Racism Drives State Disparities

State-level disparity does not arise from individual behavior. Researchers identify structural racism as the primary driver. Three specific structural factors predict femicide disparity across states. Each measures a different dimension of the same underlying system of concentrated disadvantage.

Furthermore, the Columbia/Lancet study documents a direct correlation. States with the most pronounced structural inequalities record the highest Black-to-white femicide ratios. Consequently, policy interventions that target structural conditions–not individual behavior–carry the strongest evidence for reducing disparity.

What State-Level Data Reveals

The state-by-state data carries a precise implication. Femicide prevention requires state-level action. National averages obscure the specific geographies of failure. Maryland’s improvement demonstrates that targeted investment produces results. Wisconsin’s deterioration demonstrates what happens without it.

Therefore, state legislators hold direct power over outcomes. Coercive control legislation, domestic violence shelter funding, firearm relinquishment enforcement, and culturally competent advocacy programs all operate at the state level. Furthermore, the states where disparity grew–Arkansas, Kansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Minnesota, Wisconsin, New York, South Carolina–represent the highest-priority targets for immediate intervention. The data identifies them precisely. The question is whether political will follows.

Data Methodology Notes

1. Data covers 30 states only: The Columbia/Lancet study includes only 30 states with sufficient data for analysis. States with small Black female populations produced insufficient homicide counts for reliable rate calculation. Therefore, findings do not represent all 50 states.
2. Age Range: Rates apply to ages 25–44 only. All state-level data covers women aged 25–44 — the peak vulnerability window identified by researchers. Rates for younger and older women may differ and are not represented here.
3. Aggregated Time Period: State data uses five-year period averages. State-level rates aggregate across five-year periods to ensure statistical reliability. Individual annual state rates are not reported. The most recent period is 2019–2020 — the final years of the study dataset.
4. Post-2020 Data: State-level data post-2020 not yet available in this format. The Columbia/Lancet study covers 1999–2020. No comparable state-level analysis using this methodology has been published for 2021–2025 at time of publication. National trend data for 2021–2023 appears in the article National Femicide Rates in the United States.

A note on undercounting: State-level femicide data systematically undercounts true totals. Cases classified as accidents, undetermined deaths, or misclassified causes of death are excluded. The true disparity in every state is almost certainly larger than these figures reflect.

Further Reading

• The Alarming Rate of Black Femicide
• National Femicide Rates in the United States
• Black Femicide: Perpetrator Relationship Data
• Black Femicide Trends 2020–2025: The Impact of COVID-19
• The Role of Firearms in the Black Femicide Crisis
• The Global Coercive Control Legislation Index
• The Global Femicide Legislation Index

References

• Waller, B.Y., Joseph, V.A., & Keyes, K.M. (2024). Racial inequities in homicide rates and homicide methods among Black and White women aged 25–44 years in the USA, 1999–2020: A Cross-Sectional Time Series Study. The Lancet.
• Bailey, Z. D., Krieger, N., Agénor, M., Graves, J., Linos, N., & Bassett, M. T. (2017). Structural racism and health inequities in the USA: Evidence and interventions. The Lancet.
• Siegel, M., Rieders, M., Rieders, H., et al. (2022). Measuring structural racism and its association with racial disparities in firearm homicide. Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities.
• Kertscher, T. (2024). Does Wisconsin have the worst disparity in homicide rates between Black and white women? Wisconsin Watch. 
• Diez, C., Kurland, R. P., Rothman, E. F., Bair-Merritt, M., Fleegler, E., Xuan, Z., Siegel, M., & Hemenway, D. (2017). State intimate partner violence–related firearm laws and intimate partner homicide rates in the United States, 1991 to 2015. Annals of Internal Medicine, 167(8), 536–543.
• Gedeon, S. (2024). Black femicide: A silent public health crisis. Connecticut Children’s.
• Brown, S.M. (2024). Black women in US face disproportionate homicide rates. Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder.
• WalletHub. (2023). States with the most racial equality. Evolution Finance, Inc.