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.

The graph displays the top 15 states by an estimated number of homeless people in the United States for the year 2023. 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 181,399 individuals, followed by New York with 103,200, while North Carolina has the lowest in this dataset at 9,754. 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.

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.

Homelessness Report February 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....

In 2023, the around 11.1 percent of the population was living below the national poverty line in the United States. Poverty in the United StatesAs shown in the statistic above, the poverty rate among all people living in the United States has shifted within the last 15 years. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) defines poverty as follows: “Absolute poverty measures poverty in relation to the amount of money necessary to meet basic needs such as food, clothing, and shelter. The concept of absolute poverty is not concerned with broader quality of life issues or with the overall level of inequality in society.” The poverty rate in the United States varies widely across different ethnic groups. American Indians and Alaska Natives are the ethnic group with the most people living in poverty in 2022, with about 25 percent of the population earning an income below the poverty line. In comparison to that, only 8.6 percent of the White (non-Hispanic) population and the Asian population were living below the poverty line in 2022. Children are one of the most poverty endangered population groups in the U.S. between 1990 and 2022. Child poverty peaked in 1993 with 22.7 percent of children living in poverty in that year in the United States. Between 2000 and 2010, the child poverty rate in the United States was increasing every year; however,this rate was down to 15 percent in 2022. The number of people living in poverty in the U.S. varies from state to state. Compared to California, where about 4.44 million people were living in poverty in 2022, the state of Minnesota had about 429,000 people living in poverty.

This dataset presents the total number of distinct specialist homeless services clients. The client counts are based on the location where the client resided in the week before their first support period in the financial year. Each client contributes only once, even if they had multiple support periods during the financial year. The data spans the financial years of 2014-15 to 2018-19 and is aggregated to 2016 Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) Greater Capital City Statistical Areas (GCCSA).

The Specialist Homelessness Services Collection (SHSC) data accompanies the Specialist Homelessness Services Annual Report 2018-19.

For further information about this dataset, visit the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare - SHSC Data Cubes User Guide.

Notes:

• Caution should be used when comparing data for 2017-18 onwards with data for 2014-15 to 2016-17 in sub-state data cubes. Data for 2011-12 to 2016-17 at the state, territory and national levels are weighted to account for agency non-response and invalid statistical linkage keys (SLK), and have been rounded to the nearest integer. Due to improvements in agency response and rates of SLK validity, data from 2017–18 are no longer weighted. The removal of weighting does not constitute a break in time series, and these data are directly comparable with weighted counts for earlier years. As the weighting method is not suitable for sub-state units, the data in the sub-state cubes are not weighted.

• Clients are considered to be homeless if they are living in any of the following circumstances: No shelter or improvised dwelling, Short-term temporary accommodation, House, townhouse or flat (couch surfing or with no tenure).

• Clients are considered to be at risk of homelessness if they are living in any of the following circumstances: Public or community housing (renter or rent free), Private or other housing (renter, rent-free or owner), Institutional settings.

  AURIN has spatially enabled the original data.

This dataset presents the total number of distinct specialist homeless services clients. The client counts are based on the location where the client resided in the week before their first support period in the financial year. Each client contributes only once, even if they had multiple support periods during the financial year. The data spans the financial years of 2014-15 to 2018-19 and is aggregated to 2016 Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2).

The Specialist Homelessness Services Collection (SHSC) data accompanies the Specialist Homelessness Services Annual Report 2018-19.

For further information about this dataset, visit the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare - SHSC Data Cubes User Guide.

Notes:

• Caution should be used when comparing data for 2017-18 onwards with data for 2014-15 to 2016-17 in sub-state data cubes. Data for 2011-12 to 2016-17 at the state, territory and national levels are weighted to account for agency non-response and invalid statistical linkage keys (SLK), and have been rounded to the nearest integer. Due to improvements in agency response and rates of SLK validity, data from 2017–18 are no longer weighted. The removal of weighting does not constitute a break in time series, and these data are directly comparable with weighted counts for earlier years. As the weighting method is not suitable for sub-state units, the data in the sub-state cubes are not weighted.

• Clients are considered to be homeless if they are living in any of the following circumstances: No shelter or improvised dwelling, Short-term temporary accommodation, House, townhouse or flat (couch surfing or with no tenure).

• Clients are considered to be at risk of homelessness if they are living in any of the following circumstances: Public or community housing (renter or rent free), Private or other housing (renter, rent-free or owner), Institutional settings.

  AURIN has spatially enabled the original data.

This dataset presents the total number of distinct specialist homeless services clients. The client counts are based on the location where the client resided in the week before their first support period in the financial year. Each client contributes only once, even if they had multiple support periods during the financial year. The data spans the financial years of 2014-15 to 2018-19 and is aggregated to 2017 Primary Health Networks (PHN).

The Specialist Homelessness Services Collection (SHSC) data accompanies the Specialist Homelessness Services Annual Report 2018-19.

For further information about this dataset, visit the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare - SHSC Data Cubes User Guide.

Notes:

• Caution should be used when comparing data for 2017-18 onwards with data for 2014-15 to 2016-17 in sub-state data cubes. Data for 2011-12 to 2016-17 at the state, territory and national levels are weighted to account for agency non-response and invalid statistical linkage keys (SLK), and have been rounded to the nearest integer. Due to improvements in agency response and rates of SLK validity, data from 2017–18 are no longer weighted. The removal of weighting does not constitute a break in time series, and these data are directly comparable with weighted counts for earlier years. As the weighting method is not suitable for sub-state units, the data in the sub-state cubes are not weighted.

• Clients are considered to be homeless if they are living in any of the following circumstances: No shelter or improvised dwelling, Short-term temporary accommodation, House, townhouse or flat (couch surfing or with no tenure).

• Clients are considered to be at risk of homelessness if they are living in any of the following circumstances: Public or community housing (renter or rent free), Private or other housing (renter, rent-free or owner), Institutional settings.

  AURIN has spatially enabled the original data.