On a single night in January 2024, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development counted 771,480 people experiencing homelessness across the United States — the highest number ever recorded since the annual Point-in-Time (PIT) count began in 2007. This represents a 18.1% increase from the prior year and a stark reversal of the slow progress made between 2010 and 2020.
Total Homeless Population by State
California and New York together account for 45% of all homelessness in the United States, despite comprising just 18% of the total population. Here are the 15 states with the highest total homeless populations:
| Rank | State | Homeless Count (2024) | Per 10,000 Residents | YoY Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 187,084 | 47.9 | +3.1% |
| 2 | New York | 158,019 | 80.3 | +53.1% |
| 3 | Washington | 31,554 | 40.4 | +12.6% |
| 4 | Florida | 31,362 | 13.7 | +2.0% |
| 5 | Massachusetts | 29,360 | 41.8 | +53.4% |
| 6 | Texas | 27,987 | 9.0 | +2.2% |
| 7 | Illinois | 25,832 | 20.5 | +116.2% |
| 8 | Oregon | 22,875 | 53.9 | +13.6% |
| 9 | Colorado | 18,715 | 31.8 | +29.6% |
| 10 | Arizona | 14,737 | 19.8 | +3.5% |
| 11 | Pennsylvania | 14,088 | 10.8 | +12.2% |
| 12 | New Jersey | 12,762 | 13.5 | +24.3% |
| 13 | Georgia | 12,290 | 11.0 | -0.03% |
| 14 | Ohio | 11,759 | 10.0 | +3.3% |
| 15 | Hawaii | 11,637 | 80.8 | +87.0% |
Per-Capita Rates Reveal a Different Picture
Raw totals are dominated by large states, but per-capita rates tell a more nuanced story. The District of Columbia, Hawaii, and New York have the highest rates of homelessness per 10,000 residents:
| Rank | State | Per 10,000 Residents | Total Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 81.4 | 5,616 |
| 2 | Hawaii | 80.8 | 11,637 |
| 3 | New York | 80.3 | 158,019 |
| 4 | Oregon | 53.9 | 22,875 |
| 5 | Vermont | 53.4 | 3,458 |
| 6 | California | 47.9 | 187,084 |
| 7 | Massachusetts | 41.8 | 29,360 |
| 8 | Washington | 40.4 | 31,554 |
| 9 | Alaska | 36.6 | 2,686 |
| 10 | Colorado | 31.8 | 18,715 |
💡 Why Per-Capita Matters
Texas has nearly 28,000 people experiencing homelessness — the 6th highest total. But with a population of 31 million, that's just 9.0 per 10,000. Oregon, with 22,875, has a rate of 53.9 per 10,000 — six times the Texas rate — because it has just 4.2 million people and far higher housing costs.
The States With Exploding Homelessness
The year-over-year changes in the 2024 PIT count are alarming. Several states saw their homeless populations surge by 25% or more in a single year:
| Rank | State | YoY Change | 2024 Count | Primary Driver |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Illinois | +116.2% | 25,832 | Migrant arrivals in Chicago |
| 2 | Hawaii | +87.0% | 11,637 | Maui wildfire displacement |
| 3 | Massachusetts | +53.4% | 29,360 | Migrant arrivals; shelter mandate |
| 4 | New York | +53.1% | 158,019 | Migrant arrivals in NYC |
| 5 | Alabama | +39.3% | 4,601 | Rising housing costs; limited shelter |
| 6 | Rhode Island | +34.9% | 2,442 | Housing cost increases |
| 7 | Colorado | +29.6% | 18,715 | Migrant arrivals in Denver |
| 8 | West Virginia | +25.6% | 1,554 | Economic distress; substance abuse |
| 9 | New Jersey | +24.3% | 12,762 | NYC spillover; housing costs |
| 10 | New Mexico | +20.5% | 4,631 | Housing costs; limited infrastructure |
The Immigration Factor
The four states with the largest percentage increases — Illinois (+116%), Hawaii (+87%), Massachusetts (+53%), and New York (+53%) — each have specific explanatory factors. For Illinois, New York, and Massachusetts, the surge is directly linked to the arrival of migrants and asylum seekers in major cities. Chicago's homeless count more than doubled, driven almost entirely by new arrivals housed in city shelters. Hawaii's spike was largely caused by the August 2023 Maui wildfires, which displaced thousands of residents.
Historical Trends: 2015–2024
The national trend shows a disturbing inflection point. After declining or remaining relatively flat from 2015 to 2020, homelessness has surged since 2022:
California Trend (PIT Count)
| Year | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | 115,738 | 118,142 | 134,278 | 129,972 | 151,278 | 161,548 | 161,548 | 171,521 | 181,399 | 187,084 |
California's homeless population has grown by 62% since 2015, with virtually no year of decline.
Sheltered vs. Unsheltered
A critical distinction in the PIT data is between those in emergency shelters or transitional housing (sheltered) and those sleeping outside (unsheltered). Nationally, roughly 40% of the homeless population is unsheltered, but this varies dramatically by state:
- California: ~70% unsheltered — largely due to mild weather and insufficient shelter capacity
- New York: ~5% unsheltered — the state's right-to-shelter law means most are in the shelter system
- Oregon: ~60% unsheltered
- Florida: ~50% unsheltered
The Housing Cost Connection
The correlation between housing costs and homelessness rates is one of the strongest findings in housing research. States with price-to-income ratios above 5.0 have homelessness rates approximately 3x higher than states with ratios below 3.5.
The top 10 states by per-capita homelessness all have median home prices above the national average. The mechanism is straightforward: when housing costs consume more than 50% of a household's income (severe rent burden), any disruption — job loss, medical emergency, family crisis — can trigger homelessness. In high-cost states, more households live on that knife's edge.
Read more about the cost connection: The Direct Line from Housing Costs to Homelessness.
Policy Responses Vary Widely
States are taking divergent approaches:
- Housing First (Oregon, California): Prioritizing permanent housing placement. Evidence-based but slow and expensive at scale.
- Shelter mandates (New York, Massachusetts): Legal requirements to provide shelter. Reduces unsheltered homelessness but strains budgets.
- Encampment enforcement (Texas, Florida): Criminalizing camping in public spaces. Disperses but doesn't solve the problem.
- Voucher expansion (several states): Increasing Housing Choice Vouchers to keep at-risk populations housed. Effective but limited by funding.
Methodology
Data sourced from HUD's Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) Point-in-Time (PIT) counts, conducted on a single night in late January each year. The PIT count is acknowledged to be an undercount — it misses people doubled up with friends/family, those in motels, and those in locations not surveyed. Actual homelessness is estimated to be 2-3x the PIT figure. Per-capita rates calculated using Census Bureau population estimates. Year-over-year changes compare 2024 to 2023 PIT counts.
Explore state-level homelessness data on our Homelessness Dashboard.