Though estimates are constantly in flux, the latest U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) data indicates nearly 580,000 people in the U.S. are considered homeless. To put that in perspective, that’s larger than the population of many major cities, including Miami, Atlanta and Sacramento, Calif.
But where are these homeless people located? To answer, LendingTree analyzed HUD data to find the states with the largest and smallest homeless populations. We found that areas with higher home values tend to have proportionally higher numbers of homeless people.
Our findings ultimately make clear that homelessness is a significant problem across the U.S.
Image Credit: Depositphotos.com.
Key findings
- California, New York and Florida have the largest homeless populations. Across the three heavily populated states, more than 270,000 people are homeless — nearly half of the U.S. homeless population.
- North Dakota, Wyoming and Mississippi have the smallest homeless populations. North Dakota (610) and Wyoming (648) are the only states with fewer than 1,000 homeless people. In Mississippi, 1,196 people are homeless.
- In each of the nation’s 50 states, people who are homeless don’t exceed 0.50% of the population. In the District of Columbia, that figure is 0.66%. While this could suggest homelessness isn’t particularly prevalent in most of the U.S., it doesn’t diminish the struggle that the nearly 580,000 homeless people in America face.
- Relative to an area’s population, homelessness is most prevalent in the District of Columbia, California and Vermont. Across these areas, an average of 0.51% of the population is homeless. On the other hand, with an average of 0.06% of the population being identified as homeless, Mississippi, South Carolina, Alabama and Illinois are the states where homelessness is least prevalent relative to the population.
- States with more expensive housing tend to have proportionally higher homeless populations. While expensive housing can exacerbate homelessness, it’s important to note that other, more complex factors — including substance abuse or health problems — can be key drivers behind why people become homeless.
- An average of 58.22% of homeless people across the nation’s 50 states and the District of Columbia stay in shelters. The share of sheltered homeless people is highest in Vermont at 94.39%, but it’s considerably lower in Hawaii at 24.87%.
Image Credit: Rawf8 / istockphoto.
States with the least homelessness
No. 1: North Dakota
- Number of homeless people: 610
- Share of homeless people in shelters: 65.08%
- Share of homeless people as a percentage of the population: 0.08%
- Median home price: $224,400
No. 2: Wyoming
- Number of homeless people: 648
- Share of homeless people in shelters: 74.85%
- Share of homeless people as a percentage of the population: 0.11%
- Median home price: $266,400
No. 3: Mississippi
- Number of homeless people: 1,196
- Share of homeless people in shelters: 26.17%
- Share of homeless people as a percentage of the population: 0.04%
- Median home price: $145,600
Image Credit: Lendingtree.com.
States with the most homelessness
Image Credit: Rawf8 / istockphoto.
15. Illinois
Number of homeless people: 9,212
Number of homeless people in some type of shelter: 5,342
% of homeless people in a shelter: 57.99%
Total state population: 12,582,032
Share of homeless people as a % of the total population: 0.07%
Median home value: $231,500
Image Credit: ibsky.
14. North Carolina
Number of homeless people: 9,382
Number of homeless people in some type of shelter: 4,566
% of homeless people in a shelter: 48.67%
Total state population: 10,698,973
Share of homeless people as a % of the total population: 0.09%
Median home value: $236,900
Image Credit: ” Darwin Brandis”.
13. Colorado
Number of homeless people: 10,397
Number of homeless people in some type of shelter: 5,054
% of homeless people in a shelter: 48.61%
Total state population: 5,839,926
Share of homeless people as a % of the total population: 0.18%
Median home value: $466,200
Image Credit: Jacob Boomsma / istockphoto.
12. Tennessee
Number of homeless people: 10,567
Number of homeless people in some type of shelter: 3,538
% of homeless people in a shelter: 33.48%
Total state population: 7,051,339
Share of homeless people as a % of the total population: 0.15%
Median home value: $235,200
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
11. Ohio
Number of homeless people: 10,654
Number of homeless people in some type of shelter: 7,344
% of homeless people in a shelter: 68.93%
Total state population: 11,756,058
Share of homeless people as a % of the total population: 0.09%
Median home value: $180,200
Image Credit: TomahawkBRAWL / Wikimedia Commons.
10. Georgia
Number of homeless people: 10,689
Number of homeless people in some type of shelter: 3,340
% of homeless people in a shelter: 31.25%
Total state population: 10,912,876
Share of homeless people as a % of the total population: 0.10%
Median home value: $249,700
Image Credit: SeanPavonePhoto.
8. Arizona
Number of homeless people: 13,553
Number of homeless people in some type of shelter: 3,909
% of homeless people in a shelter: 28.84%
Total state population: 7,359,197
Share of homeless people as a % of the total population: 0.18%
Median home value: $336,300
Image Credit: Ixnayonthetimmay.
7. Massachusetts
Number of homeless people: 15,507
Number of homeless people in some type of shelter: 12,924
% of homeless people in a shelter: 83.34%
Total state population: 6,981,974
Share of homeless people as a % of the total population: 0.22%
Median home value: $480,600
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
6. Oregon
Number of homeless people: 17,959
Number of homeless people in some type of shelter: 5,103
% of homeless people in a shelter: 28.41%
Total state population: 4,240,137
Share of homeless people as a % of the total population: $422,700
Median home value: 0.42%
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
5. Texas
Number of homeless people: 24,432
Number of homeless people in some type of shelter: 10,762
% of homeless people in a shelter: 44.05%
Total state population: 30,029,572
Share of homeless people as a % of the total population: 0.08%
Median home value: $237,400
Image Credit: DenisTangneyJr.
4. Washington
Number of homeless people: 25,211
Number of homeless people in some type of shelter: 9,636
% of homeless people in a shelter: 38.22%
Total state population: 7,785,786
Share of homeless people as a % of the total population: 0.32%
Median home value: $485,700
Image Credit: 4nadia.
3. Florida
Number of homeless people: 25,959
Number of homeless people in some type of shelter: 10,040
% of homeless people in a shelter: 38.68%
Total state population: 22,244,823
Share of homeless people as a % of the total population: 0.12%
Median home value: $290,700
Image Credit: Elisa.rolle.
2. New York
Number of homeless people: 74,178
Number of homeless people in some type of shelter: 65,640
% of homeless people in a shelter: 88.49%
Total state population: 19,677,151
Share of homeless people as a % of the total population: 0.38%
Median home value: $368,800
Image Credit: Depositphotos.com.
1. California
Number of homeless people: 171,521
Number of homeless people in some type of shelter: 44,553
% of homeless people in a shelter: 25.98%
Total state population: 39,029,342
Share of homeless people as a % of the total population: 0.44%
Median home value: $648,100
This article originally appeared on LendingTree and was syndicated by MediaFeed.
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