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 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.

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

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

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

Information updated as of 11/13/2025.

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.

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 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.

Legacy unique identifier: P01088

Decisions on whether a household is homeless and in priority need. The term "Homelessness" is often considered to apply only to people "sleeping rough". However, most of our statistics on homelessness relate to the statutorily homeless i.e. those households which meet specific criteria of priority need set out in legislation, and to whom a homelessness duty has been accepted by a local authority. Such households are rarely homeless in the literal sense of being without a roof over their heads, but are more likely to be threatened with the loss of, or are unable to continue with, their current accommodation. All households that apply for assistance under the Housing and Homelessness Acts are referred to as "decisions". However, these do not include households found to be ineligible for assistance (some persons from abroad are ineligible for assistance). This dataset provides statistics on the numbers of decisions made on applications for assistance. The data is broken down by local authority and according to the outcome of the decision: either rejected, together with reason for rejection, or accepted. The numbers are presented in terms of households, not individuals. A household is defined as: one person living alone, or a group of people living at the same address who share common housekeeping or a living room. Values of less than five households have been suppressed. In addition, some values of five or greater have been suppressed to prevent other suppressed values being calculated This data is also available in Table 784a, available for download as an Excel spreadsheet.

The data in this table relate to the number and percentages of homeless people aged 18 to 65 in the Netherlands. Breakdowns have been made according to gender, age group, migration background and place of residence (whether or not registered in one of the four major cities, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague or Utrecht). Reference date: 1 January 2021. Data available from: 2020. Status of the figures: provisional Changes as of 2 November 2021 The provisional figures for 2021 have been added. When will new figures be published: Final figures for 2020, 2021 and 2022 will be available in the second half of 2022.

The term "Homelessness" is often considered to apply only to people "sleeping rough". However, most of our statistics on homelessness relate to the statutorily homeless i.e. those households which meet specific criteria of priority need set out in legislation, and to whom a homelessness duty has been accepted by a local authority. Such households are rarely homeless in the literal sense of being without a roof over their heads, but are more likely to be threatened with the loss of, or are unable to continue with, their current accommodation. A "main homelessness duty" is owed where the authority is satisfied that the applicant is eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and falls within a specified priority need group. Such statutorily homeless households are referred to as "acceptances". This dataset provides statistics on the numbers of households accepted as statutorily homeless and presented in terms of acceptances per 1000 households in each local authority area. The total number of acceptances is broken down further according to ethnicity in the related dataset, Homelessness Acceptances. The numbers are presented in terms of households, not individuals. A household is defined as: one person living alone, or a group of people living at the same address who share common housekeeping or a living room. Values of less than five households have been suppressed. In addition, some values of five or greater have been suppressed to prevent other suppressed values being calculated This data is also available in Table 784a, available for download as an Excel spreadsheet.

This dataset contains the numbers of households accommodated by local authorities, broken down by local authority and temporary accommodation type.

The term "Homelessness" is often considered to apply only to people "sleeping rough". However, most of our statistics on homelessness relate to the statutorily homeless i.e. those households which meet specific criteria of priority need set out in legislation, and to whom a homelessness duty has been accepted by a local authority.

Such households are rarely homeless in the literal sense of being without a roof over their heads, but are more likely to be threatened with the loss of, or are unable to continue with, their current accommodation.

This dataset provides statistics on households in temporary accommodation (excluding those for whom a duty is owed, but no accommodation has been secured) on the last day of the quarter, as arranged by a local housing authority as a discharge of their statutory homelessness functions.

The numbers are presented in terms of households, not individuals. A household is defined as: one person living alone, or a group of people living at the same address who share common housekeeping or a living room. Values of less than five households have been suppressed. In addition, some values of five or greater have been suppressed to prevent other suppressed values being calculated

This data is also available in Table 784a, available for download as an Excel spreadsheet.

This dataset contains numbers of households accepted by the authority as homeless and in priority need, but for which no accommodation has yet been secured.

The term "Homelessness" is often considered to apply only to people "sleeping rough". However, most of our statistics on homelessness relate to the statutorily homeless i.e. those households which meet specific criteria of priority need set out in legislation, and to whom a homelessness duty has been accepted by a local authority.

Such households are rarely homeless in the literal sense of being without a roof over their heads, but are more likely to be threatened with the loss of, or are unable to continue with, their current accommodation.

A detailed explanation of the responsibilities of local authorities in this area is available from the DCLG website, here.

A "main homelessness duty" is owed where the authority is satisfied that the applicant is eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and falls within a specified priority need group. Such statutorily homeless households are referred to as "acceptances".

This dataset provides statistics on the numbers of cases where it has been decided that the applicant is eligible for assistance, but no accommodation had yet been provided.

The numbers are presented in terms of households, not individuals. A household is defined as: one person living alone, or a group of people living at the same address who share common housekeeping or a living room.

This data was derived from Table 784a, available for download as an Excel spreadsheet.

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.

The number of deaths of homeless people in England and Wales, by sex, five-year age group and underlying cause of death, 2013 to 2021 registrations. Experimental Statistics.

This dataset contains estimates of the prevalence of homelessness on Census night 2016, derived from the Census of Population and Housing using the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) definition of homelessness. Prevalence is an estimate of how many people experienced homelessness at a particular point-in-time. The ABS uses six homeless operational groups to present the estimates of homelessness. Estimates are also presented for selected groups of people who may be marginally housed and whose living arrangements are close to the statistical boundary of homelessness and who may be at risk of homelessness. Data is by SA4 2016 boundaries. Periodicity: 5 yearly. For more information visit the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

In 2024/25, ****** men were reported to be sleeping rough in London with a further ***** women, and ** non-binary people. Since 2010/11 there has been an increase in the number of people reported to be sleeping rough in London, increasing from almost ***** in 2010/11 to more than ****** by 2022/23. Throughout this time period, the majority of people seen to be sleeping rough in London have been men. Characteristics of homeless people in London Of the rough sleepers seen in London in 2023/24, the most common age group were those aged between 36 and 45, at *****. In terms of nationality, most rough sleepers were from the United Kingdom at ***** people, with Romanian being the second-highest nationality, at *** people. The London Borough which had the highest number of people sleeping rough was Westminster, at ***** people, while the borough of Sutton had the fewest rough sleepers, at **. Tragic implications of homelessness In 2021, *** homeless people in London lost their lives, which was the highest number of homeless deaths per region in England and Wales. In terms of the homeless death rate, the worst region was also London, at **** deaths per million people in 2021. North West England had the second-highest deaths per million people, at **. Between 2013 and 2019, the number of homeless deaths in England and Wales increased from 392 to ***, before falling to *** in 2020 and *** in 2021.

In 2024, there were reported to be ***** men sleeping rough on a single night in England, and *** women, with a further *** people whose gender was not known. Between 2017 and 2024, the majority of rough sleepers reported in England have been men.