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.

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.

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 2024, about *** percent of the estimated number of homeless veterans in the United States were Native American or Pacific Islanders. In comparison, **** percent were white and ** percent were Black, African American, or African.

This dataset contains the numbers of households accepted as homeless and in priority need, broken down by local authority and by ethnicity.

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 households accepted as statutorily homeless. The data is broken down according to the ethnic group of the applicants and by local authority area.

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.

A. SUMMARY This archived dataset includes data for population characteristics that are no longer being reported publicly. The date on which each population characteristic type was archived can be found in the field “data_loaded_at”.

B. HOW THE DATASET IS CREATED Data on the population characteristics of COVID-19 cases are from:  * Case interviews  * Laboratories  * Medical providers    These multiple streams of data are merged, deduplicated, and undergo data verification processes.  

Race/ethnicity * We include all race/ethnicity categories that are collected for COVID-19 cases. * The population estimates for the "Other" or “Multi-racial” groups should be considered with caution. The Census definition is likely not exactly aligned with how the City collects this data. For that reason, we do not recommend calculating population rates for these groups.

Gender * The City collects information on gender identity using these guidelines.

Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) occupancy * A Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) is a type of long-term care facility that provides care to individuals, generally in their 60s and older, who need functional assistance in their daily lives.  * This dataset includes data for COVID-19 cases reported in Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNFs) through 12/31/2022, archived on 1/5/2023. These data were identified where “Characteristic_Type” = ‘Skilled Nursing Facility Occupancy’.

Sexual orientation * The City began asking adults 18 years old or older for their sexual orientation identification during case interviews as of April 28, 2020. Sexual orientation data prior to this date is unavailable. * The City doesn’t collect or report information about sexual orientation for persons under 12 years of age. * Case investigation interviews transitioned to the California Department of Public Health, Virtual Assistant information gathering beginning December 2021. The Virtual Assistant is only sent to adults who are 18+ years old. https://www.sfdph.org/dph/files/PoliciesProcedures/COM9_SexualOrientationGuidelines.pdf">Learn more about our data collection guidelines pertaining to sexual orientation.

Comorbidities * Underlying conditions are reported when a person has one or more underlying health conditions at the time of diagnosis or death.

Homelessness Persons are identified as homeless based on several data sources: * self-reported living situation * the location at the time of testing * Department of Public Health homelessness and health databases * Residents in Single-Room Occupancy hotels are not included in these figures. These methods serve as an estimate of persons experiencing homelessness. They may not meet other homelessness definitions.

Single Room Occupancy (SRO) tenancy * SRO buildings are defined by the San Francisco Housing Code as having six or more "residential guest rooms" which may be attached to shared bathrooms, kitchens, and living spaces. * The details of a person's living arrangements are verified during case interviews.

Transmission Type * Information on transmission of COVID-19 is based on case interviews with individuals who have a confirmed positive test. Individuals are asked if they have been in close contact with a known COVID-19 case. If they answer yes, transmission category is recorded as contact with a known case. If they report no contact with a known case, transmission category is recorded as community transmission. If the case is not interviewed or was not asked the question, they are counted as unknown.

C. UPDATE PROCESS This dataset has been archived and will no longer update as of 9/11/2023.

D. HOW TO USE THIS DATASET Population estimates are only available for age groups and race/ethnicity categories. San Francisco population estimates for race/ethnicity and age groups can be found in a view based on the San Francisco Population and Demographic Census dataset. These population estimates are from the 2016-2020 5-year American Community Survey (ACS).

This dataset includes many different types of characteristics. Filter the “Characteristic Type” column to explore a topic area. Then, the “Characteristic Group” column shows each group or category within that topic area and the number of cases on each date.

New cases are the count of cases within that characteristic group where the positive tests were collected on that specific specimen collection date. Cumulative cases are the running total of all San Francisco cases in that characteristic group up to the specimen collection date listed.

This data may not be immediately available for recently reported cases. Data updates as more information becomes available.

To explore data on the total number of cases, use the ARCHIVED: COVID-19 Cases Over Time dataset.

E. CHANGE LOG

• 9/11/2023 - data on COVID-19 cases by population characteristics over time are no longer being updated. The date on which each population characteristic type was archived can be found in the field “data_loaded_at”.
• 6/6/2023 - data on cases by transmission type have been removed. See section ARCHIVED DATA for more detail.
• 5/16/2023 - data on cases by sexual orientation, comorbidities, homelessness, and single room occupancy have been removed. See section ARCHIVED DATA for more detail.
• 4/6/2023 - the State implemented system updates to improve the integrity of historical data.
• 2/21/2023 - system updates to improve reliability and accuracy of cases data were implemented.
• 1/31/2023 - updated “population_estimate” column to reflect the 2020 Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) San Francisco Population estimates.
• 1/5/2023 - data on SNF cases removed. See section ARCHIVED DATA for more detail.
• 3/23/2022 - ‘Native American’ changed to ‘American Indian or Alaska Native’ to align with the census.
• 1/22/2022 - system updates to improve timeliness and accuracy of cases and deaths data were implemented.
• 7/15/2022 - reinfections added to cases dataset. See section SUMMARY for more information on how reinfections are identified.

This dataset contains data included in the San Diego County Regional Equity Indicators Report led by the Office of Equity and Racial Justice (OERJ). The full report can be found here: https://data.sandiegocounty.gov/stories/s/7its-kgpt.

Geographic data used to create maps in the report can be found here: https://data.sandiegocounty.gov/dataset/Equity-Report-Data-Geography/p6uw-qxpv

Filter by the Indicator column to select data for a particular indicator.

User notes: 10/9/25 - for the report year 2025, data for the following indicators were uploaded with changes relative to report year 2023: Crime Rate: As of January 1, 2021, the FBI replaced the Summary Reporting System (SRS) with the National Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS), which expands how crimes were recorded and classified. This report uses California’s version of NIBRS, the California Incident Based Reporting System (CIBRS), obtained from the SANDAG Open Data Portal. Crime rates are not disaggregated by jurisdiction, as in the previous Equity Indicator Report. Internet access: The age group variable was incorporated to account for notable disparities in internet access by age. Police Stops and Searches: refined methods. Agency data was aggregated to San Diego County because data was available for all agencies; previously data was available for three agencies. Analysis of RIPA data was updated to exclude stops where the stop was made in response to a call for service, combine transgender women and transgender men into a transgender category, and limit to contraband found during search. Used term “discovery rate” instead of “hit rate.” Removed comparison to traffic collision data and instead compared to population estimates from the American Community Survey. Jail Incarceration: new data sources. The numerator data for the average daily population data in jail was obtained from the San Diego County Sheriff's Office. Population data to calculate the rates was obtained from the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG). The terms for conviction status were corrected to "locally sentenced" and "unsentenced" for sentencing status. For jail population data, East African was reclassified as Black and Middle Eastern as White to allow for calculation of rates using SANDAG population estimates.

8/1/25 - for the report year 2025, the following change were made: Business Ownership: the minority and nonminority labels were switched for the population estimates and some of the race/ethnicity data for nonemployer businesses were corrected. Homelessness: added asterisks to category name for unincorporated regions to allow for a footnote in the figure in the story page.

7/11/25 - for the report year 2025, the following changes were made: Beach Water Quality: the number of days with advisories was corrected for Imperial Beach municipal beach, San Diego Bay, and Ocean Beach.

5/22/25 - for the report year 2023, the following changes were made: Youth poverty/Poverty: IPUMS identified an error in the POVERTY variable for multi-year ACS samples. In July 2024, they released a revised version of all multi-year ACS samples to IPUMS USA, which included corrected POVERTY values. The corrected POVERTY values were downloaded, and the analysis was rerun for this indicator using the 2021 ACS 5-year Estimates. Youth Poverty: data source label corrected to be 2021 for all years. Employment, Homeownership, and Cost-Burdened Households - Notes were made consistent for rows where category = Race/Ethnicity.

5/9/25 - Excluding data for the crime section indicators, data were appended on May 9, 2025 and the report will be updated to reflect the new data in August 2025. The following changes in methods were made: For indicators based on American Community Survey (ACS) data, the foreign-born category name was changed to Nativity Status. Internet access: Group quarters is a category included in the survey sample, but it is not part of the universe for the analysis. For the 2025 Equity Report year, respondents in group quarters were excluded from the analysis, whereas for the 2023 Equity Report year, these respondents were included. Adverse childhood experiences - new data source.

Prepared by: Office of Evaluation, Performance, and Analytics and the Office of Equity and Racial Justice, County of San Diego, in collaboration with the San Diego Regional Policy & Innovation Center (https://www.sdrpic.org).

Study Objective: Facemask use is associated with reduced transmission of SARS-CoV-2. Most surveys assessing perceptions and practices of mask use miss the most vulnerable racial, ethnic, and socio-economic populations. These same populations have suffered disproportionate impacts from the pandemic. The purpose of this study was to assess beliefs, access, and practices of mask wearing across 15 urban emergency department (ED) populations. Methods: This was a secondary analysis of a cross-sectional study of ED patients from December 2020 to March 2021 at 15 geographically diverse, safety net EDs across the US. The primary outcome was frequency of mask use outside the home and around others. Other outcome measures included having enough masks and difficulty obtaining them. Results: Of 2,575 patients approached, 2,301 (89%) agreed to participate; nine had missing data pertaining to the primary outcome, leaving 2,292 included in the final analysis. A total of 79% of respondents reported wearing masks “all of the time” and 96% reported wearing masks over half the time. Subjects with PCPs were more likely to report wearing masks over half the time compared to those without PCPs (97% vs 92%). Individuals experiencing homelessness were less likely to wear a mask over half the time compared to those who were housed (81% vs 96%). Conclusions: Study participants reported high rates of facemask use. Respondents who did not have PCPs and those who were homeless were less likely to report wearing a mask over half the time and more likely to report barriers in obtaining masks. The ED may serve a critical role in education regarding, and provision of, masks for vulnerable populations. Methods Study Design and Setting We conducted this secondary analysis of a previously published study regarding ED patients perceptions’ of COVID-19 vaccination.[13] The parent study was a prospective, cross-sectional survey of ED patients at 15 safety net EDs in 14 US cities. The University of California Institutional Review Board approved this study. Verbal consent was obtained. Data Processing Participant ethnicity (Latinx/non-Latinx) and race were self-reported. We categorized those who self-identified as any race other than Latinx as ‘reported race’, non-Latinx (i.e. Black, non-Latinx and White, non-Latinx). If the patient identified themselves as Latinx, they were placed in that category and not in that of any other race. If an individual identified as more than one non-Latinx race, they were categorized as multiracial. Individuals who reported that they were currently applying for health insurance, were unsure if they were insured, or if their response to the question was missing (18 respondents) were categorized as uninsured in a binary variable, and separate analysis was done based on type of insurance reported. The survey submitted in our supplement (S1) is the version used at the lead site. Each of the remaining sites revised their survey to include wording applicable to their community (i.e., the site in Los Angeles changed Healthy San Francisco to Healthy Los Angeles), and these local community health plans were coded together. We identified individuals who reported English and Spanish as their primary language, and grouped those who reported Arabic, Bengali, Cantonese, Tagalog, or Other as “Other” primary language. With regards to gender, we categorized those who identified as gender queer, nonbinary, trans man and trans woman as “other”. Study Outcomes and Key Variables Our primary outcome was subjects’ response to the question, “Do you wear a mask when you are outside of your home when you are around other people?” with answer choices a) always, b) most of the time (more than 50%), c) sometimes, but less than half of the time (less than 50%), and d) I never wear a mask. Respondents were provided with these percentages to help quantify their responses. We stratified respondents into two groups: those who responded always or most of the time as “wears masks over half the time” and those who responded sometimes or never as “wears masks less than half the time. We sorted each of the 15 sites into four geographic regions within the United States. There were 3 sites located in New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania which we categorized in the Northeast region. We categorized 3 sites in Michigan and Iowa as Midwest, and 3 sites in North Carolina, Louisiana, and Maryland as the South. There were 6 sites located on the West Coast from California and Washington State.

In 2023, the resident population of California was ***** million. This is a slight decrease from the previous year, with ***** million people in 2022. This makes it the most populous state in the U.S. Californian demographics Along with an increase in population, California’s gross domestic product (GDP) has also been increasing, from *** trillion U.S. dollars in 2000 to **** trillion U.S. dollars in 2023. In the same time period, the per-capita personal income has almost doubled, from ****** U.S. dollars in 2000 to ****** U.S. dollars in 2022. In 2023, the majority of California’s resident population was Hispanic or Latino, although the number of white residents followed as a close second, with Asian residents making up the third-largest demographic in the state. The dark side of the Golden State While California is one of the most well-known states in the U.S., is home to Silicon Valley, and one of the states where personal income has been increasing over the past 20 years, not everyone in California is so lucky: In 2023, the poverty rate in California was about ** percent, and the state had the fifth-highest rate of homelessness in the country during that same year, with an estimated ** homeless people per 10,000 of the population.

According to a survey on regional homelessness conducted in September 2018, at around 40 percent, the majority of people living in temporary accommodation in the Auckland region in New Zealand were of Māori origin. In the same year, an estimated 16 percent of the entire population of the country were Māori, while only eight percent had a Pacific background.