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.

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.

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.

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, 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 *****.

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 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.

In 2022, about ******* homeless people lived outside of homeless shelters in California, the most out of all U.S. states.

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

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

This study examines the spatial patterns of homelessness and resources for the homeless population in Louisville, KY with the goal of identifying where homeless populations are located in relation to resources. Working with census data and some of the resources for the homeless, this study uncovers the realities that the homeless face in different parts of the city. This research research was made as a senior thesis for the University of Louisville's department of Geographic and Environmental Sciences. Table 1. Income and Poverty between the United States and Louisville/Jefferson County metro government, Kentucky in 2019 (United States Census Bureau 2021)Homeless people are thought of as less than full citizens. Whether the rest of the city's people agree or disagree, they are citizens, and should have rights to the city as much as everyone else. The opioid crisis, unmanaged mental illnesses, lack of employment, and other issues like limitations on affordable housing have increased the population of homeless people in Louisville in recent years (Reed 2021). More than 1.5 million children experience homelessness in the United States (Poverty USA 2019). The poverty rate in Louisville, Kentucky is 15.9%, and 1 in 10 renters were facing eviction as of 2019. The 2019 Point In Time Count shows that on a randomly picked night in Louisville, 1071 of the city's people are experiencing homelessness, which is an increase of 15% from the 2018 count (Coalition for the Homeless 2019). The previous data compared to the count for 2020 of 1102 people, shows a trend in increasing homeless population (Coalition for the Homeless 2020).

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.

In the United States, California had the highest amount of homeless children and youths enrolled in their schools for the school year 2019-20 at ******* students. North Carolina had ****** recorded homeless students for the same year. A homeless child or youth is someone who lacks a fixed residence or is forced to share housing due to economic hardship.

Community housing and homeless shelters, mostly small nonprofits, heavily depend on government and charitable funding. According to the Annual Homelessness Assessment Report (AHAR 2023), out % of 653,100 individuals experiencing homelessness, 60.7% were sheltered, while 39.3% remained unsheltered, highlighting a significant underserved market. The pandemic increased unemployment, housing costs and poverty levels, raising demand for shelter services, with government support aiding many establishments. As a result, industry revenue grew at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.0%, reaching $21.9 billion by 2024, with a 2.0% climb in 2024 alone. Notably, industry profit rose to 7.0%, with most profit reinvested into operations, as 96.0% of shelters are nonprofits and 98.0% of community housing providers are federally tax-exempt. Individual service needs vary widely. About one-third of shelter services cater to emergency housing. Six out of ten people experiencing homelessness are in urban areas, explaining the concentration of shelters in cities. Also, three out of ten people experiencing homelessness come from a family with children. Catering to a diverse demographic (families, youths, adults, veterans) can restrict economies of scale, but specialized services can attract targeted charitable contributions. Urban shelters face higher rents and costs because of competitive pressures. However, they can gain from group purchasing, network development for better rates and spreading positive information to boost donations. Service provision is expected to remain fragmented, with shelters competing intensely for grants. Donations will fluctuate depending on the economy, increasing during booms and decreasing in downturns. Shelters integrating telehealth, training and security measures may attract a broader group, reducing unsheltered homelessness and increasing revenue for service and infrastructure improvements. Despite favorable economic trends, such as decreasing poverty and unemployment rates and slower housing price growth, revenue will strengthen at a CAGR of only 0.2%, reaching $22.0 billion by 2029.

In 2022, about ****** veterans living in California were homeless, the most out of all U.S. states.

Homelessness Report May 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....

Created for the 2023-2025 State of Black Los Angeles County (SBLA) interactive report. To learn more about this effort, please visit the report home page at https://ceo.lacounty.gov/ardi/sbla/. For more information about the purpose of this data, please contact CEO-ARDI. For more information about the configuration of this data, please contact ISD-Enterprise GIS. Table Name Indicator Name Universe Timeframe Source Race Notes Source URL

homeownership_pct % Homeownership Occupied Housing Units 2016-2020 American Community Survey - Table B25003B-I Race alone; White is Non-Hispanic White https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=0500000US06037&tid=ACSDT5Y2020.B25003

renters_pct % Renters Occupied Housing Units 2016-2020 American Community Survey - Table B25003B-I Race alone; White is Non-Hispanic White https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=0500000US06037&tid=ACSDT5Y2020.B25003

mean_home_value Mean Home Value Households 2021 Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) All races are Non-Hispanic LA County eGIS-Demography

accepted_mortgage_pct Accepted Mortgate Rate Mortgage Applications 2021 Home Mortgage Disclosure Act HMDA categories - https://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/documents/cfpb_reportable-hmda-data_regulatory-and-reporting-overview-reference-chart-2019.pdf https://ffiec.cfpb.gov/data-browser/data/2021

rent_burden_pct Rent Burdened Renter Households 2019 California Housing Partnership All races are Non-Hispanic https://chpc.net/housingneeds/?view=37.405074,-119.26758,5&county=California,Los+Angeles&group=housingneed&chart=shortfall|current,cost-burden|current,cost-burden-re|current,homelessness,historical-rents,vacancy,asking-rents|2022,budgets|2021,funding|current,state-funding,lihtc|2010:2021:historical,rhna-progress,multifamily-production

rent_burden_severe_pct Severely Rent Burdened Renter Households 2019 California Housing Partnership All races are Non-Hispanic https://chpc.net/housingneeds/?view=37.405074,-119.26758,5&county=California,Los+Angeles&group=housingneed&chart=shortfall|current,cost-burden|current,cost-burden-re|current,homelessness,historical-rents,vacancy,asking-rents|2022,budgets|2021,funding|current,state-funding,lihtc|2010:2021:historical,rhna-progress,multifamily-production

eviction_per_100_hh Eviction Rate Renter Households 2014-2017 The Eviction Lab at Princeton University

https://data-downloads.evictionlab.org/#data-for-analysis/

homeless_count Homeless Count Population excluding Long Beach, Glendale, and Pasadena 2022 LAHSA

https://www.lahsa.org/documents?id=6545-2022-greater-los-angeles-homeless-count-deck

homeless_homeless_pct % Homeless Population Population excluding Long Beach, Glendale, and Pasadena 2022 LAHSA

https://www.lahsa.org/documents?id=6545-2022-greater-los-angeles-homeless-count-deck

homeless_county_pct % County Population Population excluding Long Beach, Glendale, and Pasadena 2022 LAHSA

https://www.lahsa.org/documents?id=6545-2022-greater-los-angeles-homeless-count-deck

unable_pay_mortgage_rent% Delayed or Were Unable to Pay Mortgage or Rent in the past 2 Years Households 2018 LAC Health Survey https://www.publichealth.lacounty.gov/ha/HA_DATA_TRENDS.htm

homeless_ever% Who Reported Ever Being Homeless or Not Having Their Own Place to Live or Sleep in the past Five Years Adults 2018 LAC Health Survey https://www.publichealth.lacounty.gov/ha/HA_DATA_TRENDS.htm

This statistic presents the estimated rate of homelessness across Australia in 2016, by state or territory. According to the source, there were approximately 599 homeless people per 10,000 people living in the Northern Territory on Census night in 2016.

Content

Included in this data set are data elements that will help the public identify agencies that are certified to operate programs for runaway and homeless youth. These programs are available to assist runaway and homeless youth in emergency situation and provide independent living skills for youth in transition. Data elements include the agency name, agency business address, phone number, website and type of program offered.

Context

This is a dataset hosted by the State of New York. The state has an open data platform found here and they update their information according the amount of data that is brought in. Explore New York State using Kaggle and all of the data sources available through the State of New York organization page!

• Update Frequency: This dataset is updated annually.

Acknowledgements

This dataset is maintained using Socrata's API and Kaggle's API. Socrata has assisted countless organizations with hosting their open data and has been an integral part of the process of bringing more data to the public.

Cover photo by Zac Ong on Unsplash
Unsplash Images are distributed under a unique Unsplash License.