On a single night in 2024, there were 771,480 total people experiencing homelessness, 497,256 of whom were sheltered and 274,224 of whom were unsheltered. Homelessness increased across most populations, and the number of people living in both sheltered and unsheltered conditions grew. The federal government requires homeless data collection, and provides funding for housing and services to assist people experiencing homelessness through a number of agencies and programs.
Source and Notes
The source for all data in this graphic is HUD, The 2024 Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress, Part 1: Point-in-Time Estimates of Homelessness, December 2024. Some numbers may not sum to totals due to rounding.
HUD Estimates of Homelessness
As part of funding for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Congress directed the agency to collect homeless data in P.L. 105-276 (referencing H.Rept. 105-610). HUD coordinates two methods to arrive at the number of people experiencing homelessness, a point-in-time (PIT) count of people living in both sheltered and unsheltered conditions on a single night, and an annual estimate of the total number of people who experience sheltered homelessness at any point during the year (annual estimate). The data are published in Annual Homeless Assessment Reports (AHARs) to Congress.
This graphic contains only PIT count data and does not include data from the annual estimate. The PIT count is most commonly cited for changes in the homeless population. It is conducted on one night in January by Continuums of Care (CoCs), the state and local planning bodies that administer HUD Homeless Assistance Grants, and data are aggregated at the national level by HUD. States, including the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the territories, participate in the PIT count.
People who are included in the PIT count are "homeless" as defined in law. They lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence, and are either sleeping in unsheltered conditions not ordinarily used for this purpose (e.g., a car, park, abandoned building, campground) or in an emergency shelter, transitional housing, or safe haven. The PIT count does not include people who might imminently lose housing (another component of the definition). HUD requires a sheltered count every year and an unsheltered count every other year. Most CoCs conduct unsheltered counts every year; in 2024, 22 CoCs (out of almost 400) did not conduct an unsheltered count. In 2021, due to COVID-19, only a sheltered PIT count was conducted.
The first HUD AHAR was published using 2005 data. However, HUD uses 2007 as the first year for measuring PIT data trends. PIT count data from 2007 to 2014 were adjusted with the release of the 2015 PIT count, while data from earlier years were not adjusted.
In 2024, 771,480 people were experiencing homelessness according to PIT data; this compares to 647,258 in 2007, 549,928 in 2016 (the year with the lowest number), and 653,104 in 2023.
Subpopulations
HUD directs CoCs to collect data on three subpopulations that may be of interest to policymakers: people experiencing chronic homelessness, veterans, and youth. There may be overlap among these populations.
"Chronically homeless" is defined in law as a person with a disability, including behavioral health (i.e., mental health and substance use) issues, who has lived in a place not meant for human habitation, an emergency shelter, or safe haven for at least one year continuously or on four separate occasions totaling one year over the course of three years. In 2001, the federal government set a goal to end chronic homelessness. The AHAR data shown in this graphic are chronically homeless individuals, for whom data has been collected since the initial HUD AHAR. In 2024, 152,585 individuals were chronically homeless, up from 77,486 at the lowest point in 2016.
People in families may also experience chronic homelessness based on the head of household meeting disability criteria; HUD has collected data on chronically homeless people in families since 2013. Family data are not included in the AHAR report, but HUD makes them available via its Homeless Populations and Subpopulation Reports. In 2024, 15,406 people in families were considered chronically homeless.
Veteran data has been collected since 2009, the same year the federal government set a goal of ending veteran homelessness. In 2024, 32,882 veterans were experiencing homelessness, the lowest number since data collection began.
"Unaccompanied youth" are defined as children under 18 and young adults ages 18-24 who are not accompanied by a parent or guardian and do not have children of their own. HUD has collected data on youth since 2013, but it benchmarked 2017 as the baseline year for measuring changes. In 2024, 38,170 unaccompanied youth experienced homelessness.
Race and Ethnicity
Race and ethnicity data reported by HUD changed in 2024 compared to previous years. In prior years, Hispanic ethnicity was collected separately from race. In 2024, respondents reported Hispanic ethnicity together with one or more racial categories. Data in this graphic are broken out by people of any race who reported Hispanic ethnicity and each racial category exclusive of Hispanic ethnicity (i.e., not of Hispanic ethnicity).
Age and Family Status
The AHAR reports people who are experiencing homelessness by age. "Children" are under 18, and "youth" are young adults ages 18-24. Adults over 24 are reported in multiple age bands: 25-34, 35-44, 45-54, 55-64, and 65 and older. This graphic groups people ages 25-64 together as "adults" and people ages 65 and older as "older adults."
The PIT count reports numbers of people who are experiencing homelessness as either "individuals" or "people in families with children." A family consists of at least one person age 18 or older and at least one child under 18 who were together at the time of the PIT count. An individual includes anyone who is not in a family with children. Individuals can be adults (including youth ages 18-24) who are alone or part of a multi-adult household. Individuals may also be unaccompanied children or children in multi-child households, including parenting children under age 18.