In 2023, there were an estimated 324,854 white homeless people in the United States, the most out of any ethnicity. In comparison, there were around 243,624 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.

Table of homeless population by Year (for years 2009 through 2012)

The purpose of the San Mateo County Homeless Census and Survey is to gather and analyze information to help us understand who is homeless in our community, why they are homeless and what interventions they need to end their homelessness. This data forms the basis for effective planning to solve this complex and longstanding problem. The San Mateo County Human Services Agency’s Center on Homelessness the San Mateo County Continuum of Care Steering Committee were responsible for overseeing this data collection effort, with assistance from a broad group of community partners, including non-profit social service providers, city and town governments, and homeless and formerly homeless individuals. The Census and Survey was designed to meet two related sets of data needs. The first is the requirement of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that communities applying for McKinney-Vento Homelessness Assistance funds (also known as Continuum of Care or “CoC” funds) must conduct a point-in-time count of homeless people a minimum of every two years. These counts are required to take place in the last ten days of January.

In 2023, there were about 653,104 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 647,258. 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.

In the United States in 2023, 89.2 percent of the homeless population living in El Dorado County, California were unsheltered.

"Ratio of Homeless Population to General Population in major US Cities in 2011. *This represents a list of large U.S. cities for which DHS was able to confirm a recent estimate of the unsheltered population. A 2011 result is available for Seattle, WA, Miami, FL, and Boston, MA.. 2011 results are not yet available for the other cities, and their 2009 data are displayed in this chart. General population figures are 2010 estimates in New York, San Francisco, and Chicago, and 2009 estimates elsewhere."

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

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 are separate files but are now combined.

Information updated as of 2/06/2025.

According to U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's definition, homelessness includes individuals and families who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence. A homeless count provides a "snapshot in time" to quantify the size of the homeless population at a specific point during the year. Regardless of how successful outreach efforts are, an undercount of people experiencing homelessness is possible. Counts includes persons experiencing unsheltered and sheltered homelessness. Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count occurred in the nights of February 22, 23 and 24, 2022. Glendale's count occurred in the morning and evening of February 25, 2022. Long Beach's count occurred in the early morning of February 24, 2022. Pasadena's count occurred in the evening of February 22, 2022 and morning of February 23, 2022. Data not available for Los Angeles City neighborhoods and unincorporated Los Angeles County; LAHSA does not recommend aggregating census tract-level data to calculate numbers for other geographic levels.Housing affordability is a major concern for many Los Angeles County residents. Housing burden can increase the risk for homelessness. Individuals experiencing homelessness experience disproportionately higher rates of certain health conditions, such as tuberculosis, HIV infection, alcohol and drug abuse, and mental illness. Barriers to accessing care and limited access to resources contribute greatly to these observed disparities.For more information about the Community Health Profiles Data Initiative, please see the initiative homepage.

In 2023, about 68.4 percent of the estimated number of homeless individuals in the United States were male, compared to 30 percent who were female.

Welcome to the survey of PHA Engagement with Homeless Households. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has contracted with Abt Associates and its subsidiary Abt SRBI to conduct this survey. The information collected will allow researchers to explore and document how Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) currently serve homeless households. Our purpose is to establish a baseline level of PHAs’ current engagement in serving homeless households and to better understand the current opportunities provided by PHAs that have an explicit preference for homeless households. Findings of this study will enable HUD to:

--identify the variety of mechanisms that PHAs employ to target homeless households for assistance;
--highlight innovative ways in which PHAs may be engaging with homeless households;highlight the broader set of community partners providing services to homeless people.

Through this study PHAs will learn from each other about different approaches to assisting homeless families. Responses to this survey will be used for research purposes only and will NOT be used for compliance monitoring. If you have questions about the survey please call 1‐866‐626‐9805 or email us at PHASURVEY@srbi.com. If you have questions about the study itself, please contact Ms. Anne Fletcher, Social Science Analyst, Office of Policy Development and Research, HUD at (202) 402‐4347 or Ms. Eliza Kean, the Abt Associates Project Director at (301) 634‐1743.

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 73 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 653,104 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 243,000. 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 social situation of the homeless in a Cologne suburb. Topics: Most important problems in the settlement; problems in the relationship between the settlement and surroundings; plans to leave; length of residence in the settlement and year of first utilization of a city shelter; reason for admission into a city shelter; type of quarters on first admission and before admission; frequency of moving into such accomodations and settlements; perceived deterioration from the move; number of rooms; possession of durable economic goods; defects in residence; number of children and schools attended or kindergarten; attitude to establishment of a special school in the part of town; perceived discrimination of one´s children in school; regular pocket-money for the children; place of leisure time of one´s children; contacts of one´s children outside of the settlement; person raising the children; perceived discrimination of the homeless; exercise of an honorary activity in the settlement; attitude to a self-help committee in the settlement; interest in participation in such a committee; assumed effectiveness of a community of interests of the homeless; most important tasks of such a community of interests; most important institutions as contact to improve the situation of the homeless; location of place of work; frequency of change of job; change of occupation; satisfaction with place of work; shopping place; possession of savings; manager of family income; decision-maker for expenditures; debts; eating main meal together; leisure activities in the settlement; contact persons in leisure time; leisure contacts outside the settlement; neighborhood contacts in the settlement; contacts with non-homeless; establishing these contacts on leisure time or through work; identification as Cologne resident or resident of the part of town; desire to move to another part of town; favorite part of town in Cologne; intensity of contact with the population in the part of town; contacts with residents of another settlement; participation in meetings of the Poll Buergerverein; assumed representation of interests of the homeless through this organization; most influencial personalities in the part of town; persons making a particular effort for the homeless; most important differences between the residents of one´s own settlement and another settlement in the part of town; knowledge of press reports and television reports about the homeless and judgement on validity; most important reasons for homelessness; most important measures to prevent homelessness; perceived differences between the homeless; filing a complaint against the city to obtain better housing; experiences with contacts with authorities; satisfaction with the manager of the settlement; most important task of a manager; anomy (scale); comparison of personal housing situation with that of parents; social origins; social mobility compared with father and father-in-law; contacts with relatives; judgement of relatives about living in this settlement; relatives likewise living in emergency shelters; personal condition of health; number of sick family members and type of illnesses; recommendations on dealing with the homeless; society or the individual as responsible for one´s own homelessness; desire for integration in a normal residential area; personal extent of commiting crimes and conviction; type of offenses; perceived improvement in living conditions in the emergency shelter; comparison of the situation between the settlement and a temporary shelter; place of birth; length of residence in Cologne; re-married; religiousness; club memberships; extent of club activity; party preference; assumed effectiveness of this survey on the situation of the homeless. Interviewer rating: name sign on door; description of residential furnishings regarding family pictures, other pictures, knick-knacks, religious figures and possession of books; condition of windows, wallpaper and furniture; length of interview; number of persons present during interview; carrying out house work by the person interviewed during the interview; conduct of other persons present during the conversation; willingness of respondent to cooperate. Die soziale Situation von Obdachlosen in einem Kölner Vorort. Themen: Wichtigste Probleme in der Siedlung; Probleme im Verhältnis zwischen Siedlung und Umgebung; Auszugspläne; Wohndauer in der Siedlung und Jahr der ersten Inanspruchnahme einer städtischen Unterkunft; Grund für die Einweisung in eine städtische Unterkunft; Unterkunftstyp bei der ersten Einweisung und vor der Einweisung; Umzugshäufigkeit in solchen Unterkünften und Siedlungen; empfundene Verschlechterung durch den Umzug; Wohnraumzahl; Besitz langlebiger Wirtschaftsgüter; Schäden in der Wohnung; Kinderzahl und besuchte Schulen bzw. Kindergärten; Einstellung zur Einrichtung einer Sonderschule im Stadtteil; empfundene Diskriminierung der Kinder in der Schule; regelmäßiges Taschengeld für die Kinder; Freizeitort der Kinder; Kontakte der Kinder außerhalb der Siedlung; Erziehungsperson für die Kinder; empfundene Diskriminierung der Obdachlosen; Ausüben einer ehrenamtlichen Tätigkeit in der Siedlung; Einstellung zu einem Selbsthilfekomitee in der Siedlung; Interesse an der Beteiligung in einem solchen Komitee; vermutete Wirksamkeit einer Interessengemeinschaft der Obdachlosen; wichtigste Aufgaben einer solchen Interessengemeinschaft; wichtigste Institutionen als Ansprechpartner zur Verbesserung der Situation der Obdachlosen; Ortslage der Arbeitsstätte; Häufigkeit von Arbeitsplatzwechsel; Berufswechsel; Zufriedenheit mit der Arbeitsstelle; Einkaufsort; Besitz von Ersparnissen; Verwalter des Familieneinkommens; Entscheider über Ausgaben; Schulden; gemeinsame Einnahme der Hauptmahlzeit; Freizeitaktivitäten in der Siedlung; Kontaktpersonen in der Freizeit; Freizeitkontakte außerhalb der Siedlung; Nachbarschaftskontakte in der Siedlung; Kontakte zu Nichtobdachlosen; Aufnahme dieser Kontakte in der Freizeit oder durch die Arbeit; Identifikation als Kölner oder Bewohner des Stadtteils; Umzugswunsch in einen anderen Stadtteil; beliebtester Stadtteil in Köln; Intensität des Kontaktes zur Bevölkerung im Stadtteil; Kontakte zu Bewohnern einer anderen Siedlung; Beteiligung an Versammlungen des Poller Bürgervereins; vermutete Interessenvertretung der Obdachlosen durch diesen Verein; einflußreichste Persönlichkeiten im Stadtteil; Personen, die sich besonders für die Obdachlosen einsetzen; wichtigste Unterschiede zwischen den Bewohnern der eigenen Siedlung und einer weiteren Siedlung im Stadtteil; Kenntnis von Presseberichten und Fernsehberichten über die Obdachlosen und Beurteilung des Wahrheitsgehaltes; wichtigste Gründe für Obdachlosigkeit; wichtigste Vorbeugungsmaßnahmen zur Verhinderung von Obdachlosigkeit; perzipierte Unterschiede zwischen Obdachlosen; Beschwerdeführung gegen die Stadt zur Bereitstellung einer besseren Wohnung; Erfahrungen mit Behördenkontakten; Zufriedenheit mit dem Verwalter der Siedlung; wichtigste Aufgabe eines Verwalters; Anomie (Skala); Vergleich der eigenen Wohnsituation mit der der Eltern; soziale Herkunft; soziale Mobilität gegenüber dem Vater und dem Schwiegervater; Verwandtschaftskontakte; Urteil der Verwandtschaft über das Wohnen in dieser Siedlung; Verwandte, die ebenfalls in Notunterkünften leben; eigener Gesundheitszustand; Zahl der erkrankten Familienmitglieder und Art der Krankheiten; Vorschläge zur Behandlung von Obdachlosen; Gesellschaft oder Individuum als Verantwortlicher für die eigene Obdachlosigkeit; Wunsch nach Integration in eine normale Wohngegend; eigene Straffälligkeit und Verurteilung; Art der Delikte; empfundene Verbesserung der Lebensbedingungen in der Notunterkunft; Vergleich der Situation zwischen der Siedlung und einem Übergangshaus; Geburtsort; Wohndauer in Köln; wiederverheiratet; Religiosität; Vereinsmitgliedschaften; Umfang der Vereinstätigkeit; Parteipräferenz; vermutete Wirksamkeit dieser Befragung auf die Situation der Obdachlosen. Demographie: Alter; Geschlecht; Familienstand; Kirchgangshäufigkeit; Schulbildung; Berufstätigkeit; Einkommen. Interviewerrating: Namensschild an der Tür; Beschreibung der Wohnungseinrichtung bezüglich Familienbilder, sonstiger Bilder, Nippfiguren, religiöser Figuren und Bücherbesitz; Zustand der Fenster, Tapeten und Möbel; Interviewdauer; Anzahl der anwesenden Personen beim Interview; Erledigung von Haushaltsarbeiten der befragten Person während des Interviews; Verhalten der übrigen Anwesenden während des Gesprächs; Kooperationsbereitschaft des Befragten.

Results from the one day point in time census of homeless individuals in San Mateo County from 2007 - 2010. The Census and Survey was designed to meet two related sets of data needs. The first is the requirement of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that communities applying for McKinney-Vento Homelessness Assistance funds (also known as Continuum of Care or “CoC” funds) must conduct a point-in-time count of homeless people a minimum of every two years. These counts are required to take place in the last ten days of January.

Data Prepared by Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority

July 26 2017

Components of the Homeless Count

Street Count (all census tracts): Captures a point in time estimate of the unsheltered population.

Shelter Count (from Homeless Management Integration System): Captures the homeless population in emergency shelters, transitional housing, safe havens and vouchered motels/hotels.

Youth Count (sample census tracts): Collaborative process with youth stakeholders to better understand and identify homeless youth.

Demographic Survey (sample census tracts): Captures the demographic characteristics of the unsheltered homeless population.

Notes

Street Count Data include persons found outside, including persons found living in cars, vans, campers/RVs, tents, and makeshift shelters. The conversion factors used to estimate the number of persons found living outside are the following: For families—Makeshift Shelter = 3.69, Car = 2.96, Van = 3.46, Camper/RV = 3.52, Tent = 3.78; For Individuals—Makeshift Shelter = 1.92, Car = 1.52, Van = 1.77, Camper/RV = 2.05, Tent = 1.69.

Please visit https://www.lahsa.org/homeless-count/home to view and download data.

Last updated 7/26/2017

Homelessness Report January 2025. Published by Department of Housing, Local Government, and Heritage. Available under the license Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike 4.0 (CC-BY-SA-4.0).Homelessness data Official homelessness data is produced by local authorities through the Pathway Accommodation and Support System (PASS). PASS was rolled-out nationally during the course of 2013. The Department’s official homelessness statistics are published on a monthly basis and refer to the number of homeless persons accommodated in emergency accommodation funded and overseen by housing authorities during a specific count week, typically the last full week of the month. The reports are produced through the Pathway Accommodation & Support System (PASS), collated on a regional basis and compiled and published by the Department. Homelessness reporting commenced in this format in 2014. The format of the data may change or vary over time due to administrative and/or technology changes and improvements. The administration of homeless services is organised across nine administrative regions, with one local authority in each of the regions, “the lead authority”, having overall responsibility for the disbursement of Exchequer funding. In each region a Joint Homelessness Consultative Forum exists which includes representation from the relevant State and non-governmental organisations involved in the delivery of homeless services in a particular region. Delegated arrangements are governed by an annually agreed protocol between the Department and the lead authority in each region. These protocols set out the arrangements, responsibilities and financial/performance data reporting requirements for the delegation of funding from the Department. Under Sections 38 and 39 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 a statutory Management Group exists for each regional forum. This is comprised of representatives from the relevant housing authorities and the Health Service Executive, and it is the responsibility of the Management Group to consider issues around the need for homeless services and to plan for the implementation, funding and co-ordination of such services. In relation to the terms used in the report for the accommodation types see explanation below: PEA - Private Emergency Accommodation: this may include hotels, B&Bs and other residential facilities that are used on an emergency basis. Supports are provided to services users on a visiting supports basis. STA - Supported Temporary Accommodation: accommodation, including family hubs, hostels, with onsite professional support. TEA - Temporary Emergency Accommodation: emergency accommodation with no (or minimal) support....

Survey on Homeless Persons: Sampling errors relating to the homeless population by type of accommodation and sex. National.

Data Prepared by Los Angeles Homeless Services AuthorityRevised July 29, 2019Homeless Count 2019 Dashboard MethodologyTotal number of people experiencing homelessness is the sum of (1) the sheltered population (the total number of people staying in emergency shelter, transitional housing, or safe haven programs on the night of the point-in-time count) and (2) the unsheltered population (the total number of people counted by volunteers and the estimated number of people sleeping in the dwellings counted by volunteers).

(1) The total number of people experiencing homelessness who slept in an emergency shelter, transitional housing, or safe haven program was reported to LAHSA by each provider and assigned to a census tract. For shelter programs with multiple scattered sites in the LA CoC, an administrative address is used for locating the sheltered population in this dashboard. Shelters that serve persons fleeing domestic or intimate partner violence are excluded due to confidentiality concerns. Persons receiving motel vouchers are excluded in this dashboard because the location of the motel is unknown.

(2) The total number of people experiencing homelessness who slept on the street or in a dwelling not meant for human habitation were counted by volunteers on January 22nd, 23rd, or 24th. 3,873 demographic survey interviews were conducted with persons experiencing unsheltered homelessness from December 2018 to March 2019 to describe the population’s demographics and approximate the number of people in each dwelling. The total persons in uninhabitable dwellings was estimated for each type (car, van, camper/RV, tent, or makeshift shelter) and was estimated at the SPA-level for individual and for family households and can be found on our website. Estimates of the people inside these dwellings was rounded to whole numbers for the purposes of this dashboard. Please visit our website for further information at www.lahsa.org.

Data Prepared by Los Angeles Homeless Services AuthoritySeptember 5 2018Components of the Homeless CountStreet Count (all census tracts): Captures a point in time estimate of the unsheltered population.Shelter Count (from Homeless Management Integration System): Captures the homeless population in emergency shelters, transitional housing, safe havens and vouchered motels/hotels.Youth Count (sample census tracts): Collaborative process with youth stakeholders to better understand and identify homeless youth.Demographic Survey (sample census tracts): Captures the demographic characteristics of the unsheltered homeless population.NotesStreet Count data includes homeless persons found outside, including persons found residing in cars, vans, campers/RVs, tents and makeshift shelters. The following conversion factors were used to estimate the number of persons living in cars, vans, campers/RVs, tents and makeshift shelters if enumerators encountered homeless persons living in these environments. Individuals: Cars = 1.54, Vans = 1.62, RV's = 1.76, Tents = 1.52 and Makeshift Shelters = 1.67. Family Members: Cars = 2.96, Vans = 2.43, RV's = 3.45, Tents = 2.75 and Makeshift Shelters = 2.42. Demographic survey interviews conducted with 4,934 homeless persons from December 2017 to March 2018 determined these conversion factors for the average number of homeless persons in cars, vans, campers/RVs, tents and makeshift shelters. Please visit https://www.lahsa.org/homeless-count/home to view and download data.Last updated 9/5/2018

City staff and community partners work together to survey people experiencing homelessness in Ottawa. So far, the City has led two counts:April 2018October 2021Oct 2024The survey is conducted to gather information about people experiencing homelessness. The goal of this work is to guide new approaches to address homelessness at a local level and help in the planning and delivery of services.Date created: 28 April 2022Update frequency: As needed.Accuracy: Convenience sampling was used to recruit survey respondents. This method of recruiting respondents to answer the survey does not rely on a random selection process. Instead, surveyors approach potential respondents if they are close by at the time the surveyor is delivering the questionnaire. Many factors could determine participation in the survey including:Number of community partners involved in the PiT countLocation of surveyors and their physical proximity to potential respondentsNumber of engagement eventsSeason the survey was conductedDifferences in results between PiT count years may be due to changes within the homeless population and shifts in methodology. For comparisons of emergency shelter use over time, visit the Temporary Emergency Accommodations Dashboard. An analysis of factors related to housing and homelessness during COVID-19 provides context for unique housing market conditions during the pandemic.Results shown in the Survey results: Point-in-Time count dashboard are presented by sector. The name and definition of each sector are below:All: All respondents who answered the surveySingle adult: Respondents aged 25 years or older and not accompanied by anyoneUnaccompanied youth: Respondents under 25 years old and not accompanied by anyoneFamily: Respondents accompanied by children under 18 years oldAttributes:Question: The question that was asked in the surveyTopic: The classification of the survey question by themSector: Refers to the population (total, family, unaccompanied youth, single adults)Period: Month the Point-in-Time count was conductedResponse: Response category of the survey questionNumeratorDenominatorPercentage Author: Housing ServicesAuthor email: pitcount_denombrementponctuel@ottawa.ca

Survey on Homeless Persons: Sampling errors relating to the homeless population by Autonomous Community and age group. National.