When analyzing the ratio of homelessness to state population, New York, Vermont, and Oregon had the highest rates in 2023. However, Washington, D.C. had an estimated ** homeless individuals per 10,000 people, which was significantly higher than any of the 50 states. Homeless people by race The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development performs homeless counts at the end of January each year, which includes people in both sheltered and unsheltered locations. The estimated number of homeless people increased to ******* in 2023 – the highest level since 2007. However, the true figure is likely to be much higher, as some individuals prefer to stay with family or friends - making it challenging to count the actual number of homeless people living in the country. In 2023, nearly half of the people experiencing homelessness were white, while the number of Black homeless people exceeded *******. How many veterans are homeless in America? The  number of homeless veterans in the United States has halved since 2010. The state of California, which is currently suffering a homeless crisis, accounted for the highest number of homeless veterans in 2022. There are many causes of homelessness among veterans of the U.S. military, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), substance abuse problems, and a lack of affordable housing.

The graph displays the top 15 states by an estimated number of homeless people in the United States for the year 2025. The x-axis represents U.S. states, while the y-axis shows the number of homeless individuals in each state. California has the highest homeless population with 187,084 individuals, followed by New York with 158,019, while Hawaii places last in this dataset with 11,637. This bar graph highlights significant differences across states, with some states like California and New York showing notably higher counts compared to others, indicating regional disparities in homelessness levels across the country.

In 2023, there were an estimated ******* white homeless people in the United States, the most out of any ethnicity. In comparison, there were around ******* Black or African American homeless people in the U.S. How homelessness is counted The actual number of homeless individuals in the U.S. is difficult to measure. The Department of Housing and Urban Development uses point-in-time estimates, where employees and volunteers count both sheltered and unsheltered homeless people during the last 10 days of January. However, it is very likely that the actual number of homeless individuals is much higher than the estimates, which makes it difficult to say just how many homeless there are in the United States. Unsheltered homeless in the United States California is well-known in the U.S. for having a high homeless population, and Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Diego all have high proportions of unsheltered homeless people. While in many states, the Department of Housing and Urban Development says that there are more sheltered homeless people than unsheltered, this estimate is most likely in relation to the method of estimation.

The graph displays the estimated number of homeless people in the United States from 2007 to 2024. The x-axis represents the years, ranging from 2007 to 2023, while the y-axis indicates the number of homeless individuals. The estimated homeless population varies over this period, ranging from a low of 57,645 in 2014 to a high of 771,000 in 2024. From 2007 to 2013, there is a general decline in numbers from 647,258 to 590,364. In 2014, the number drops significantly to 57,645, followed by an increase to 564,708 in 2015. The data shows fluctuations in subsequent years, with another notable low of 55,283 in 2018. From 2019 onwards, the estimated number of homeless people generally increases, reaching its peak in 2024. This data highlights fluctuations in homelessness estimates over the years, with a recent upward trend in the homeless population.

In 2023, the estimated number of homeless people in the United States was highest in California, with about ******* homeless people living in California in that year.

In 2023, there were about ******* homeless people estimated to be living in the United States, the highest number of homeless people recorded within the provided time period. In comparison, the second-highest number of homeless people living in the U.S. within this time period was in 2007, at *******. How is homelessness calculated? Calculating homelessness is complicated for several different reasons. For one, it is challenging to determine how many people are homeless as there is no direct definition for homelessness. Additionally, it is difficult to try and find every single homeless person that exists. Sometimes they cannot be reached, leaving people unaccounted for. In the United States, the Department of Housing and Urban Development calculates the homeless population by counting the number of people on the streets and the number of people in homeless shelters on one night each year. According to this count, Los Angeles City and New York City are the cities with the most homeless people in the United States. Homelessness in the United States Between 2022 and 2023, New Hampshire saw the highest increase in the number of homeless people. However, California was the state with the highest number of homeless people, followed by New York and Florida. The vast amount of homelessness in California is a result of multiple factors, one of them being the extreme high cost of living, as well as opposition to mandatory mental health counseling and drug addiction. However, the District of Columbia had the highest estimated rate of homelessness per 10,000 people in 2023. This was followed by New York, Vermont, and Oregon.

Yearly statewide and by-Continuum of Care total counts of individuals receiving homeless response services by age group, race, gender, veteran status, and disability status.

This data comes from the Homelessness Data Integration System (HDIS), a statewide data warehouse which compiles and processes data from all 44 California Continuums of Care (CoC)—regional homelessness service coordination and planning bodies. Each CoC collects data about the people it serves through its programs, such as homelessness prevention services, street outreach services, permanent housing interventions and a range of other strategies aligned with California’s Housing First objectives.

The dataset uploaded reflects the 2024 HUD Data Standard Changes. Previously, Race and Ethnicity were separate files but are now combined.

Information updated as of 11/13/2025.

Between 2022 and 2023, New Hampshire had the highest positive percentage change in the estimated number of homeless people in the United States, with the number of homeless people living in New Hampshire increasing by **** percent within this time period.

In the United States in 2023, **** percent of the homeless population living in El Dorado County, California were unsheltered.

In 2024/25, there were ***** rough sleepers reported in Westminster, making it the London borough with the highest number of rough sleepers in that year. Other boroughs which also had a high number of homeless people included, Camden, Ealing, and Southwark.

In 2023, there were about ****** homeless youth living in California, the most out of any U.S. state. New York had the second-highest number of homeless youth in that year, at *****.

Homeless Students in Arkansas (2024–25): What the data says

TL;DR: 10.9k Arkansas students experienced homelessness in 2024–25 (0.8% of enrollment). Most are “Doubled Up”, sharing housing because of loss of housing or economic hardship. Geography matters: large, fast-growing counties report the highest counts even when they aren’t the poorest, and poverty explains much but not all of variation in homelessness.

Data & Method

Sources: Arkansas Department of Education 2024–2025; NIH poverty estimates (see workbook notes).

Unit of analysis: county-level counts of students

Tools: Tableau Public dashboard + worksheets; regression overlay on county scatter.

What to look at in the dashboard

County Map – Homeless students by county. Use the map to spot hotspots, hover for counts and enrollment context.

Housing Type Breakdown – Statewide composition: Doubled-Up 89.3%, Awaiting Foster Care 4.9%, Hotels/Motels 3.9%, Unsheltered 1.9%. Hidden homelessness dominates the lived experience of students.

Poverty vs. Homeless Students (Scatter) – A clear positive relationship (R² ≈ 0.59, p < 0.0001) indicates poverty is a strong driver, but not the whole story—some populous counties sit above/below the line.

County Comparison Bars – For larger counties (e.g., Benton, Pulaski, Washington), most identified students are Doubled-Up, and that share typically ranges 80–92%, underscoring the need for family-stability interventions.

Key findings

Scale: ~10,872 students (≈0.8% of 1.46M enrollment) were identified as experiencing homelessness statewide.

Geography ≠ poverty alone: Benton County reports the highest count despite not being among the highest poverty counties, reflecting population growth and housing pressure.

Mechanism: “Doubled Up” is the dominant pathway into homelessness for students. It's far more common than shelters, motels, or unsheltered situations. Supports that keep families stably housed (rent/utility assistance, eviction prevention, rapid re-housing) are likely to reach the largest group.

How analysts can use this

Targeting: Combine county counts with local enrollment to compute rates and flag counties that are high count and high rate for prioritization.

Program design: Given the 89% Doubled Up share, expect needs around transportation, documentation, and quick stabilization rather than shelter capacity alone.

Further work: Add rental vacancy, eviction filings, and new construction permits to the model to explain outliers.

Caveats

Counts reflect identification, not true prevalence; under identification is common for Doubled Up students.

County differences may reflect district identification practices and local resources.

Exploration tips: Use the dashboard’s tooltips, legend toggles (to isolate housing types), and the regression line on the scatter to compare counties to the statewide trend.

People experiencing homelessness (PEH) were among the most likely to contract the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Many PEH utilized high-density public places to satisfy their basic needs (e.g., soup kitchens for sustenance, public libraries for restrooms). This made it difficult for them to limit close contact with others and put them at increased risk of contracting and transmitting COVID-19. Furthermore, it was difficult to follow recommended protective measures--such as handwashing and social distancing--when living in shelters or on the streets. PEH were at higher risk of COVID-19 related hospitalization and death than the rest of the population. The poor living conditions of PEH accelerated aging, leading them to experience geriatric conditions and medical complications more typical of individuals 10-20 years older. They were also at increased risk of cardiovascular and respiratory disease, HIV/AIDS, and diabetes, all conditions that increase vulnerability to serious COVID-19-related complications and death. These risks were compounded by the fact that PEH also faced significant barriers to accessing quality health care. In the absence of protective action, it was estimated that more than 21,000 PEH would require hospitalization due to COVID-19, more than 7,000 would require critical care, and nearly 3,500 would die. Consequently, the COVID-19 pandemic made housing and health care for PEH one of the top priorities for the U.S. health care and public health systems. State and local governments across the country used federal relief funds to allocate private hotel rooms as protective shelter for vulnerable PEH. In Los Angeles County (LAC), which contains the largest unsheltered homeless population in the nation, 2,400 PEH were placed in hotels. COVID-19 response plans included accommodating up to 15,000 PEH in hotels who would then be moved to permanent housing in 90 days. This rapid push into housing amid a pandemic necessitated a delicate balance between social distancing and maintaining patients' basic needs, continuity of existing care, and personal and social well-being. Permanent supportive housing (PSH)--programs that provide immediate access to independent living situations coupled with support services--is the most effective approach for serving PEH. Numerous studies have demonstrated PSH's effectiveness in improving housing retention, quality of life, and HIV outcomes. Though evidence concerning its impact on other health outcomes, health behaviors, and health care utilization is limited, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine has nonetheless recognized PSH as extremely beneficial for PEH's health. COVID-19 was what this organization termed a "housing-sensitive condition"--one whose transmissibility, course, and medical management are particularly influenced by homelessness. Consequently, the National Alliance to End Homelessness recommended the use of PSH as part of its framework to address COVID-19 and homelessness. However, significant questions remain about what types of PSH programs can best address COVID-19-related risk and promote patient-centered outcomes at a time of social and community disruption. There are two distinct approaches to implementing PSH: place-based (PB) PSH, or single-site housing placement in a congregate residence with on-site services, and scattered-site (SS) PSH, which uses apartments rented from a private landlord to house clients while providing mobile case management services. The strengths and weaknesses of these two approaches remain largely unknown but may have direct implications for adherence to COVID-19 prevention protocols and other health-related outcomes.

The most recent rate of homelessness is calculated using ACS population estimates from the previous year, unless otherwise noted.

Data Source: HUD's Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) Point-in-Time (PIT) Estimates by State and American Community Survey (ACS) 1-Year Estimates

Why this MattersSafe, adequate, and stable housing is a human right and essential for the health and well-being of individuals, families, and communities.People who experience homelessness also struggle to maintain access to healthcare, employment, education, healthy relationships, and other basic necessities in life, according to the DC Interagency Council on Homelessness Strategic Plan.BIPOC populations are disproportionately affected by homelessness due to housing discrimination, mass incarceration, and other policies that have limited socioeconomic opportunities for Black, Latino, and other people of color.

The District's Response Strategic investments in proven strategies for driving down homelessness, including the Career Mobility Action Plan (Career MAP) program, operation of non-congregate housing, and expansion of the District’s shelter capacity.Homelessness prevention programs for at-risk individuals and families, such as emergency rental assistance, targeted affordable housing, and permanent supporting housing.Programs and services to enhance resident’s economic and employment security and ensure access to affordable housing.

Context

This database contains the data reported in the Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress (AHAR). It represents a point-In-time count (PIT) of homeless individuals, as well as a housing inventory count (HIC) conducted annually.

The data represent the most comprehensive national-level assessment of homelessness in America, including PIT and HIC estimates of homelessness, as well as estimates of chronically homeless persons, homeless veterans, and homeless children and youth.

These data can be trended over time and correlated with other metrics of housing availability and affordability, in order to better understand the particular type of housing resources that may be needed from a social determinants of health perspective.

HUD captures these data annually through the Continuum of Care (CoC) program. CoC-level reporting data have been crosswalked to county levels for purposes of analysis of this dataset.

Querying BigQuery tables

You can use the BigQuery Python client library to query tables in this dataset in Kernels. Note that methods available in Kernels are limited to querying data. Tables are at bigquery-public-data.sdoh_hud_pit_homelessness

Sample Query

What has been the change in the number of homeless veterans in the state of New York’s CoC Regions since 2012? Determine how the patterns of homeless veterans have changes across the state of New York

homeless_2018 AS ( SELECT Homeless_Veterans AS Vet18, CoC_Name
FROM bigquery-public-data.sdoh_hud_pit_homelessness.hud_pit_by_coc WHERE SUBSTR(CoC_Number,0,2) = "NY" AND Count_Year = 2018 ),

veterans_change AS ( SELECT homeless_2012.COC_Name, Vet12, Vet18, Vet18 - Vet12 AS VetChange FROM homeless_2018 JOIN homeless_2012 ON homeless_2018.CoC_Name = homeless_2012.CoC_Name )

SELECT * FROM veterans_change

This layer contains detailed Point in Time counts of homeless populations from 2018, 2013, and 2008. A 2019 version is now available!Layer is symbolized to show the count of the overall homeless population in 2018, with overall counts from 2008 and 2013 in the pop-up, as well as a pie chart of breakdown of type of shelter. To see the full list of attributes available in this service, go to the "Data" tab, and choose "Fields" at the top right. The Point-in-Time (PIT) count is a count of sheltered and unsheltered homeless persons on a single night in January. HUD requires that Continuums of Care Areas (CoCs) conduct an annual count of homeless persons who are sheltered in emergency shelter, transitional housing, and Safe Havens on a single night. CoCs also must conduct a count of unsheltered homeless persons every other year (odd numbered years). Each count is planned, coordinated, and carried out locally.The Point-in-Time values were retrieved from HUD's Historical Data site. The 2018, 2013, and 2008 sheets within the "2007 - 2018 PIT Counts within CoCs.xlsx" (downloaded on 2/7/2019) file were combined and joined to the CoC boundaries available from HUD's Open Data site. As noted in the "Mergers" sheet in the PIT Excel file, some CoC Areas have merged over the years. Use caution when comparing numbers in these CoCs across years. Data note: MO-604 covers territory in both Missouri and Kansas. The record described in this file represents the CoC's total territory, the sum of the point-in-time estimates the CoC separately reported for the portions of its territory in MO and in KS.For more information and attributes on the CoC Areas themselves, including contact information, see this accompanying layer.Suggested Citation: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)'s Point in Time (PIT) counts for Continuum of Care Grantee Areas, accessed via ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World on (date).

This layer contains detailed Point in Time counts of homeless populations from 2019. This layer is modeled after a similar layer that contains data for 2018, 2013, and 2008.Layer is symbolized to show the count of the overall homeless population in 2019, with a pie chart of breakdown of type of shelter. To see the full list of attributes available in this service, go to the "Data" tab, and choose "Fields" at the top right. The Point-in-Time (PIT) count is a count of sheltered and unsheltered homeless persons on a single night in January. HUD requires that Continuums of Care Areas (CoCs) conduct an annual count of homeless persons who are sheltered in emergency shelter, transitional housing, and Safe Havens on a single night. CoCs also must conduct a count of unsheltered homeless persons every other year (odd numbered years). Each count is planned, coordinated, and carried out locally.The Point-in-Time values were retrieved from HUD's Historical Data site. Original source is the 2019 sheet within the "2007 - 2019 PIT Counts by CoCs.xlsx" (downloaded on 3/10/2020) file. Key fields were kept and joined to the CoC boundaries available from HUD's Open Data site.Data note: MO-604 covers territory in both Missouri and Kansas. The record described in this file represents the CoC's total territory, the sum of the point-in-time estimates the CoC separately reported for the portions of its territory in MO and in KS.For more information and attributes on the CoC Areas themselves, including contact information, see this accompanying layer.Suggested Citation: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)'s Point in Time (PIT) 2019 counts for Continuum of Care Grantee Areas, accessed via ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World on (date).

this graph was created in PowerBi,R and Loocker studio:

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This topic page studies available data and empirical evidence on homelessness, focusing specifically on how it affects people in high-income countries. Homeless people are among the most vulnerable groups in high-income countries.

You can read our topic page on Extreme Poverty if you are interested in a broader perspective on economic deprivation and a perspective beyond high-income countries.

Homeless people in the US What data is available? One of the most common ways to measure homelessness is through so-called 'point-in-time' counts of people who are sleeping in shelters or on the streets. These are figures that are intended to reflect the number of people who are homeless 'on any given night'.

The main source of point-in-time estimates in the US is the Department of Housing and Urban Development, which releases the Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress (AHARC). They calculate 'point-in-time' estimates by counting homeless people in late January of each year.

The main underlying sources of data used to produce the figures published in the AHARC are (i) registries from shelters and (ii) counts and estimates of sheltered and unsheltered homeless persons provided by care organizations, as part of their applications for government funding.

The counts from the care organizations (called 'Continuums of Care' in the US) come from active counts that are undertaken at the community level, by walking around the streets, using pre-established methodologies.1

In these figures, 'Sheltered Homelessness' refers to people who are staying in emergency shelters, transitional housing programs, or safe havens. 'Unsheltered Homelessness', on the other hand, refers to people whose primary nighttime residence is a public or private place not designated for, or ordinarily used as, a regular sleeping accommodation for people – for example, the streets, vehicles, or parks.2

In 2023, about **** percent of the estimated number of homeless individuals in the United States were male, compared to ** percent who were female.