Do Neighborhoods Still Matter? A 30-Year Follow-up to the Miles-Doan Study

In a landmark study in 1998, Miles-Doan highlighted the significant influence of social factors on community-level domestic violence (DV) rates. While subsequent research has examined neighborhood effects, many studies have been constrained by limited data. This study analyzes data from all 564 municipalities in New Jersey to explore the relationship between socioeconomic factors and police-reported DV incidents from 2011 to 2020. Results indicate that poverty, lack of affordable housing, and education levels contribute to DV rates. However, multivariable analyses identify population density and income as the most significant factors, suggesting that addressing housing issues may effectively reduce local DV rates.