What state is #1 in homelessness?

California is #1 in the United States for the total number of people experiencing homelessness, with over 181,000 to 187,000 unhoused residents.

However, when measuring by per capita rate (homelessness per 10,000 or 1,000 residents), New York and Hawaii often rank highest among states (along with Washington, D.C., which has the highest overall rate).

Total Population vs. Rate

• By Raw Numbers (#1 is California): California accounts for nearly 30% of the nation's total homeless population, followed by New York in second place.
• By Per Capita Rate (#1 varies by metric): New York and Oregon or Hawaii record the highest proportion of homeless residents relative to their total state population.

You can read more detailed analysis and methodology reports from the State of Homelessness.

California, New York, and Washington have the highest total number of people experiencing homelessness in the United States.

Total Homeless Population

When measuring by the sheer number of unhoused individuals:

• California: Ranks first with roughly 181,000 to 187,000 people, representing nearly a third of the nation's total.
• New York: Ranks second with around 145,000 to 158,000 people, largely driven by the population in New York City.
• Washington: Ranks third with tens of thousands of residents affected, reflecting major housing affordability challenges in the Puget Sound region.

Highest Rates Per Capita

When measuring prevalence relative to state population size (per 10,000 residents), the top spots shift slightly to areas like New York, Hawaii, and Oregon (along with the District of Columbia). You can learn more about these breakdowns through the U.S. News State Rankings or data from World Population Review.

The top three U.S. cities with the largest homeless populations are New York City, Los Angeles, and Seattle.

Top 3 Cities by Total Count

• 1. New York City, New York: Ranks highest in the country, with over 125,000 to 140,000 homeless individuals, where the large majority (over 90%) are in formal shelter systems.
• 2. Los Angeles, California: Ranks second, with a homeless population of over 67,000 to 71,000 people, characterized by a high percentage of unsheltered individuals living on the streets.
• 3. Seattle, Washington (King County region): Ranks third nationally, with estimates ranging around 14,000 to over 38,000 depending on the broader county continuum and definition used.

Key Differences in Demographics

• Sheltered vs. Unsheltered: Cities like New York City have high sheltered rates (most unhoused people stay in indoor facilities). West Coast cities like Los Angeles and Seattle deal with much higher rates of unsheltered or street homelessness due to climate and housing availability.
• Main Drivers: High housing costs, soaring rents, and low vacancy rates heavily correlate with the largest homeless populations in these metropolitan areas.

California has the highest absolute number of homeless individuals in the United States, while New York and Oregon record the highest per capita rates among states.

Highest Total Numbers

• California: Leads the nation with over 181,000 people experiencing homelessness, accounting for roughly 30% of the U.S. total and the highest percentage of unsheltered (street) living.
• New York: Has the second-highest absolute population with over 145,000 individuals, though the vast majority are housed in temporary or emergency shelters rather than living unsheltered.

Highest Rates Per Capita

• New York and Oregon: Record the highest rates of homelessness relative to their population sizes among U.S. states.
• Washington, D.C.: Though a federal district rather than a state, it regularly records a higher per-capita proportion of homelessness than any individual state.

Blue states generally report higher overall numbers and per-capita rates of homelessness than red states, though the reasons behind this distribution are complex and subject to debate.

Numbers and Rates

• Raw Counts: According to data analyses from sources like USAFacts, states with the largest total homeless populations—such as California, New York, and Washington—tend to lean blue politically.
• Per Capita Rates: States with the highest rates of homelessness per 10,000 residents, including New York, Oregon, and Hawaii, are also predominantly blue.
• Exceptions: Some red or swing states, such as Florida and Texas, still record large absolute numbers of homeless individuals due to their large overall populations, ranking among the top states nationally for total counts even if their per capita rates are often lower.

Contributing Factors

Opinions on why this disparity exists vary widely among analysts, policymakers, and the public:

• Cost of Living and Housing: Many researchers and organizations, such as the Urbanist, point out that high housing costs and strict building regulations in coastal blue states strongly correlate with increased homelessness.
• Services and Policies: Critics of blue-state policies—as discussed in various analyses like those on Fox News—argue that extensive social services and more lenient public camping or drug laws attract or sustain higher homeless populations.
• Enforcement and Urban Density: Conversely, discussions on platforms like Quora reflect mixed opinions, with some users suggesting that red states may show lower visible homelessness due to stricter enforcement of vagrancy laws, criminalization, or lower urban density, rather than an absence of poverty.