Which States Have the Highest Homelessness Rates? (Tap to Expand)

Key Takeaways

• Hawaii experiences the highest homelessness rate in the country at 805 people per 100,000 residents.
• DC ranks second (800), and New York third (705).

Housing Costs

• Noticeably, the highest rates are concentrated on the West Coast (Hawaii, California at 474, Oregon at 535, Washington at 396) and in expensive urban areas (DC, New York, Massachusetts at 411).
• The data supports a strong correlation between housing costs and homelessness rates.

⚠️ Data Notes

• This data is based on point-in-time counts, conducted by local Continuums of Care (CoCs) in January, 2024, with latitude in methodology.
• Some COCs use census counts, others use sampling and extrapolation, or a hybrid of methods.
• Point-in-time counts risk undercounting those that are unsheltered, couch-surfing, or avoiding contact.