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.

In 2023, the estimated number of homeless people in the United States was highest in California, with about 181,399 homeless people living in California in that year.

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.

Between 2022 and 2023, New Hampshire had the highest positive percentage change in the estimated number of homeless people in the United States, with the number of homeless people living in New Hampshire increasing by 52.1 percent within this time period.

This statistic depicts the rate of homeless individuals in the United States in 2017, by metropolitan area. In 2017, the rate of homelessness per 10,000 individuals was highest in New York City, at 88.7.

This statistic shows the estimated number of homeless veterans in the United States in 2022, by state. In 2022, about 10,395 veterans living in California were homeless.

In 2023, there were about 10,173 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 4,468.

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 246,350 students. North Carolina had 28,877 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.

In 2023, about 68.4 percent of the estimated number of homeless individuals in the United States were male, compared to 30 percent who were female.

In 2022, Guerrero was the Mexican state with the highest share of population considered vulnerable due to a lack of adequate housing. Over 26 percent of the inhabitants in Guerrero were considered to live in poor housing conditions or without enough space, while Nuevo Leon had the lowest rate, at 3.2 percent. Guerrero was the second state in Mexico with the highest average extreme poverty rate only behind Chiapas.

In 2023, 7.3 percent of the estimated number of homeless individuals in the United States were between the ages of 18 and 24, while 0.7 percent were under 18.

In 2022, 61.5 percent of chronically homeless people in the United States were unsheltered, making them the demographic most likely to be unsheltered when experiencing homelessness. In comparison, homeless people in families were least likely to be unsheltered in that year, at 10.8 percent.

In 2023, the resident population of California was 38.97 million. This is a slight decrease from the previous year, with 39.03 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 1.7 trillion U.S. dollars in 2000 to 3.23 trillion U.S. dollars in 2023. In the same time period, the per-capita personal income has almost doubled, from 33,403 U.S. dollars in 2000 to 77,339 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 12 percent, and the state had the fifth-highest rate of homelessness in the country during that same year, with an estimated 46 homeless people per 10,000 of the population.

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.

According to a study conducted between 2021 and 2022, 33 percent of people experiencing homelessness in California left their last housing in the United States due to conflict among residents. A further 23 percent said that they left their last housing because they didn't want to impose or because they wanted their own space.

According to a survey conducted in 2023, 36 percent of Americans who identified as Democrats and 30 percent of Americans who identified as Republican believed that the federal government is most responsible for addressing homelessness in the United States. In comparison, only 26 percent of Independents shared this belief.

In 2023, 81 people in the United States were left homeless due to wildfires. The highest number of people left homeless from wildfires over the past three decades was in 2015, when almost 12,800 people were affected.

According to a survey conducted in 2023, 71 percent of Americans who identified as Independent and 76 percent of Americans who identified as Republican believed that drug and alcohol use was a major cause of homelessness in the United States. In comparison, only 63 percent of Democrats shared this belief.

In 2023/24, 3,645 people who were seen to be sleeping rough in London were aged between 36 and 45 years old, the most common age group in that year. In this same year, 1,126 people seen to be homeless were aged between 18 and 24, and a further 1,380 were aged over 55. By far, the least common age group for rough sleeping were those aged under 18, with just 13 rough sleepers in this reporting year. Demographics of London's homeless Overall, there were 10,053 people reported to be sleeping rough in London in 2022/23. Although this was fewer than in 2020/21, when the number of people sleeping rough reached 11,018, it was still much higher than in 2010/11, when this figure was 3,975 people. As of the most recent reporting year, 2,050 of London's rough sleepers were in the borough of Westminster, the most of any London borough. In terms of gender, the majority of rough sleepers in 2022/23 were male, with 8,172 men seen to be sleeping rough, compared with 1,642 women, and eleven non-binary people. Homelessness in the U.S. Homelessness is also an important social issue in several other countries. In the United States, for example, there were estimated to be approximately 582,562 people experiencing homelessness in 2022. This was a slight increase on the previous year, but a decrease when compared to 2007, when around 672,258 people were homeless. When looking at U.S. states, California had the highest homelessness rate, at 43.7 individuals per 10,000 population, followed by Vermont at 43.1