Every day, Ohio’s workforce loses something invisible but significant: the talents and contributions of people struggling with intimate partner violence (IPV). These aren’t strangers. They’re your coworkers, your neighbors, even the person serving your coffee.
And the impact is bigger than most of us realize. According to a 2024 study by the Ohio Domestic Violence Network, nearly 189,000 Ohioans experience intimate partner violence each year (that’s enough to fill Ohio Stadium nearly twice over).
This widespread harm doesn’t just affect individual families. It ripples through workplaces and communities. In 2024 alone, lost work productivity due to IPV cost our state nearly $228 million.
That figure reflects the reality for thousands of Ohioans facing impossible choices: recovering from injuries, attending court hearings, searching for safe housing, or simply trying to survive another day. Each missed shift, lost job, or derailed career adds up, impacting the victims, their employers, coworkers, and entire communities.
Think about what it takes to hold down a job while dealing with intimate partner violence. You might need time off to visit an emergency room or seek a restraining order. You might suddenly have to relocate and find new childcare. Some days, the emotional weight of trauma makes it hard to focus or even get out of bed.
And some abusers deliberately sabotage their victims’ employment. They might hide car keys on the morning of a job interview, create a scene at someone’s workplace, or simply forbid their partner from working at all. It’s a form of control that traps victims by cutting off their financial independence.
These challenges hurt the individuals and the communities they live in. When someone loses income, they have less to spend at local businesses. Employers struggle with gaps in their workforce. Coworkers take on extra duties. The ripple effects touch all of us.
Lost work productivity is what researchers call a “hidden cost” of IPV. Unlike medical bills or court fees that we can easily track, these losses are harder to see. They include immediate impacts like missed wages, but also long-term penalties like promotions that never happen, education that gets deferred, and careers that never fully recover.
In fact, lost work productivity is the third-largest economic cost of IPV in Ohio. Only physical healthcare ($265 million) and loss of life ($240 million) cost more. Together, these three categories make up more than 63% of IPV’s total $1.2 billion annual impact on our state.
The burden of lost productivity varies dramatically across Ohio’s 88 counties. Franklin County faces the highest losses at $25.6 million each year, more than three times the impact felt in Lucas County at $8.2 million. Cuyahoga County follows at $23.8 million, and Hamilton County at $16 million. Montgomery and Summit counties each experience losses of around $10.3 million annually.
These differences largely reflect population size, but they tell us something important: IPV affects workplaces in every corner of our state. The top six counties alone account for over $94 million in lost work productivity (nearly 41% of the statewide total). That means Ohio’s urban centers bear a disproportionate share of the economic burden.
But smaller counties face unique challenges. In rural areas, even modest productivity losses can hit hard in smaller, more interconnected economies. Survivors often travel long distances to access services, have fewer job alternatives, and struggle to maintain anonymity in tight-knit communities where leaving an abuser can mean losing an entire support network.
Understanding these costs helps us find better ways to support survivors. When employers create domestic violence-attuned workplaces—with policies that include flexible leave, safety planning, and connections to resources—they help employees stay safe and keep working. Some employers (including the state of Ohio ) are already doing this, but imagine if every workplace offered this support.
Our community organizations are making a real difference too. The 76 member organizations of the Ohio Domestic Violence Network serve all 88 counties. In 2023 alone, they answered 105,000 crisis calls, provided shelter to more than 8,600 survivors, and supported over 98,000 adults and children. They’re helping people stay safe, find housing, find or keep employment, and get back on their feet.
Small things matter too. Job training programs, emergency childcare, help with transportation, and flexible work schedules can all make the difference between someone staying trapped in an abusive relationship or building a new, independent life.
Behind that $228 million figure are real people working to rebuild their lives—parents seeking stability for their children, individuals rediscovering their worth, and communities uniting to say violence has no place in our homes or workplaces.
Every time someone keeps their job while leaving an abusive relationship, we all benefit. Every employer who trains managers to recognize the signs helps create safer workplaces. Every person who learns about IPV and how to help strengthens our community.
We’re all part of Ohio’s workforce and communities. By recognizing the hidden costs of IPV and supporting survivors, we’re investing in our neighbors, our economy, and our shared future.
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