As of 2023, there were about 32,680 unsheltered homeless people living in Los Angeles, compared to 13,580 sheltered homeless people.

This statistic shows the number of homeless people in Los Angeles County in 2020, by sheltered status. As of January 2020, there were about 48,303 unsheltered homeless people living in Los Angeles County.

In Los Angeles, the number of deaths among people experiencing homelessness (PEH) progressively increased between 2014 and 2020. From 2019 to 2020, there was an increase of 40 percent in deaths among PEH, reaching 1,776 deaths in 2020. This statistic depicts the number of deaths among PEH between 2014 and 2020 in Los Angeles County.

In Los Angeles County, the mortality rate among people experiencing homelessness (PEH) consistently increased between 2014 and 2019. In 2019, the mortality rate reached a peak for the given period at 2,021 deaths per 100,000 people. This statistic depicts the mortality rate among people experiencing homelessness between 2014 and 2019 in Los Angeles County.

OverviewThese are the Homeless Counts for 2020 as provided by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA), and the cities of Glendale, Pasadena, and Long Beach. The majority of this data comes from LAHSA using tract-level counts; the cities of Glendale, Pasadena, and Long Beach did not have tract-level counts available. The purpose of this layer is to depict homeless density at a community scale. Please read the note from LAHSA below regarding the tract level counts. In this layer LAHSA's tract-level population count was rounded to the nearest whole number, and density was determined per square mile of each community. It should be noted that not all of the sub-populations captured from LAHSA (eg. people living in vans, unaccompanied minors, etc.) are not captured here; only sheltered, unsheltered, and total population. Data generated on 12/2/20.Countywide Statistical AreasLos Angeles County's 'Countywide Statistical Areas' layer was used to classify the city / community names. Since this is tract-level data there are several times where a tract is in more than one city/community. Whatever the majority of the coverage of a tract is, that is the community that got coded. The boundaries of these communities follow aggregated tract boundaries and will therefore often deviate from the 'Countywide Statistical Area' boundaries.Note from LAHSALAHSA does not recommend aggregating census tract-level data to calculate numbers for other geographic levels. Due to rounding, the census tract-level data may not add up to the total for Los Angeles City Council District, Supervisorial District, Service Planning Area, or the Los Angeles Continuum of Care.The Los Angeles Continuum of Care does not include the Cities of Long Beach, Glendale, and Pasadena and will not equal the countywide Homeless Count Total.Street Count Data include persons found outside, including persons found living in cars, vans, campers/RVs, tents, and makeshift shelters. A conversion factor list can be found at https://www.lahsa.org/homeless-count/Please visit https://www.lahsa.org/homeless-count/home to view and download data.Last updated 07/16/2020

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.

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.

Locations of homeless shelters and services in Los Angeles CountyThis dataset is maintained through the County of Los Angeles Location Management System. The Location Management System is used by the County of Los Angeles GIS Program to maintain a single, comprehensive geographic database of locations countywide. For more information on the Location Management System, visithttp://egis3.lacounty.gov/lms/.

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

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.

"Ratio of Homeless Population to General Population in major US Cities in 2010. *This represents a list of large U.S. cities for which DHS was able to confirm a recent estimate of the unsheltered population. A 2010 result is only available for Seattle, WA. Other cities either did not conduct a count in 2010, or their 2010 results are not yet available. 2009 unsheltered census figures were used for Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, and Washington, DC, and Boston; the 2007 estimate is used for Chicago. General population figures are the latest estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau."

In Los Angeles County, methamphetamine accounted for the highest share of overdose deaths among people experiencing homelessness (PEH) in the 12 months before and after the COVID-19 pandemic onset, contributing to approximately three-quarters of all overdose deaths in both years. Fentanyl ranked as the second leading cause of overdose death in both periods, but showed the largest increase in its contribution over the analyzed timeframe. This statistic depicts the percentage of deaths among people experiencing homelessness by overdose pre- and post-COVID-19 pandemic in Los Angeles County, by drug type.

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.

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

In Los Angeles County, the number of deaths among people experiencing homelessness (PEH) had an overall increase when comparing the 12 months pre- and post-COVID-19. Among the leading death causes, drug overdose reported the biggest increase of 78 percent. Additionally, COVID-19 was the third leading cause of death from April 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021, resulting in 179 deaths during that time. This statistic depicts the number of deaths among people experiencing homelessness, 12 months pre- and post-COVID-19 pandemic, in Los Angeles County, by cause of death.

This statistic depicts the number of homeless individuals in the United States in 2017, by metropolitan area. In 2017, there were an estimated 55,200 homeless individuals living in Los Angeles, California.

A survey of homeless adults in California found that around 31 percent reported they currently use amphetamines three or more times a week. This statistic shows the percentage of homeless adults in California with regular current substance use as of 2022.