The public health impact of psychopathy on violence has not previously been measured in the general population. Psychopathy was measured using the Psychopathy Checklist:Screening Version (PCL:SV) in adults 16-74 years (n = 638) in households in England, Scotland and Wales in a two-phase survey which included self-reported measures of violence. Participants with PCL:SV scores 11 or above demonstrated a prevalence of 2.1% (95% CI 1.2, 3.8) but accounted for 18.7% of violent incidents, a population-attributable risk of 16.6%, and demonstrated an exponential rise in reported violent incidents. Psychopathic traits correlated with victim injury, multiple victim subtypes and locations. Psychopathy makes a substantial impact on violence among the general population despite a low prevalence. Explanations of this association include interpersonal difficulties due to psychopathic traits, fearlessness, thrill seeking, and antisocial lifestyle, but not impulsivity independent of antisocial lifestyle.