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 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.

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.

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.

This dataset represents the number of persons who successfully exit from homelessness in a given fiscal year in the Austin/Travis County Continuum of Care (CoC). This measure is comprised of Metric 7b1 and 7b2 from the HUD System Performance Measures.

Data Source: The data for this measure was reported to the City of Austin by the Ending Community Homelessness Coalition (ECHO). Each year, ECHO, as the homeless Continuum of Care Lead Agency (CoC Lead), aggregates and reports community wide data (including this measure) to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). This data is referred to as System Performance Measures as they are designed to examine how well a community is responding to homelessness at a system level.

View more details and insights related to this data set on the story page: https://data.austintexas.gov/stories/s/xtip-he7k

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.

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....

This dataset provides information on individuals experiencing sheltered or unsheltered homelessness in the Austin/Travis County Continuum of Care (CoC) on a single night in January when the Point in Time (PIT) Count occurs. "Sheltered" homelessness refers to individuals residing in emergency shelter, safe haven, or transitional housing project types. Unsheltered homelessness refers to individuals with a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings, including a car, park, abandoned building, bus or train station, airport, or camping ground on the night designated for the count. This measure overlaps, but is different from, the annual count of sheltered homelessness in HMIS (SD23 Measure EOA.E.1b). Data Source: The data for this measure was reported to the City of Austin by the Ending Community Homelessness Coalition (ECHO). Each year, ECHO, as the homeless Continuum of Care Lead Agency (CoC Lead), aggregates and reports community wide data (including this measure) to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). This data is referred to as System Performance Measures as they are designed to examine how well a community is responding to homelessness at a system level. View more details and insights related to this data set on the story page: https://data.austintexas.gov/stories/s/hjiv-t2tm Last Updated December 2020 with data for 2020 PIT Count.

This dataset represents the number of persons who are experiencing homelessness for the first time in a fiscal year (October 1 - September 30) in the Austin/Travis County Continuum of Care (CoC). Data Source: The data for this measure was reported to the City of Austin by the Ending Community Homelessness Coalition (ECHO). Each year, ECHO, as the homeless Continuum of Care Lead Agency (CoC Lead), aggregates and reports community wide data (including this measure) to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). This data is referred to as System Performance Measures as they are designed to examine how well a community is responding to homelessness at a system level. View more details and insights related to this data set on the story page: https://data.austintexas.gov/stories/s/wk3t-h5qe

Homelessness Report August 2024. 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....

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.

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.

"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."

This dataset provides information on individuals experiencing sheltered homelessness in the Austin/Travis County Continuum of Care (CoC) in a given fiscal year. "Sheltered" homelessness refers to individuals residing in emergency shelter, safe haven, or transitional housing project types. This measure overlaps, but is different from, the Point in Time (PIT) Count (SD23 Measure EOA.E.1a), which is a snapshot of both sheltered and unsheltered homelessness on one night in January.

Data Source: The data for this measure was reported to the City of Austin by the Ending Community Homelessness Coalition (ECHO). Each year, ECHO, as the homeless Continuum of Care Lead Agency (CoC Lead), aggregates and reports community wide data (including this measure) to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). This data is referred to as System Performance Measures as they are designed to examine how well a community is responding to homelessness at a system level.

View more details and insights related to this data set on the story page: https://data.austintexas.gov/stories/s/2ejn-hrh2

This is fiscal year aggregate data for the number of people served through Tempe's Homeless Outreach Program Effort (HOPE)This page provides data for the Ending Homelessness performance measure. The performance measure dashboard is available at 3.28 Ending Homelessness.Additional InformationSource: individual contact informationContact: LeVon LamyContact E-Mail: Levon_Lamy@tempe.govData Source Type: ExcelPreparation Method: information is totaled from a larger datasetPublish Frequency: annuallyPublish Method: manualData Dictionary

Number of people made homeless by natural disasasters disaggregated by country and year

Statistics on homelessness and homeless families

Each year, homeless coalitions across the country conduct a Point in Time Count (PIT) during the same 24-hour period in January to estimate the number of persons experiencing homelessness living in their region. The PIT count includes those living in emergency shelters, transitional housing programs, and those living unsheltered on the street. The PIT count does not include homeless families and youth who are doubled up with family or friends, or those at imminent risk of becoming homeless. The numbers are a “snapshot” on a single day rather than a definitive count. Despite these limitations, the count helps communities plan for programs and services, identifies gaps in the homeless system, and provides demographic information about populations who experience homelessness.

This dataset includes key measures that have been counted during each PIT since 2019. This dataset will be updated annually.

Data on number of homeless individuals, sheltered and unsheltered. Data is from the 2013 San Mateo County Homelessness Census and Survey (final report, May 2013), table on page 4