Jan 4, 2024 - Politics & Policy
These states have the highest rate of homelessness
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Washington, D.C., New York and Vermont had the country's highest concentrations of people experiencing homelessness in 2023, according to a report from the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
By the numbers: D.C. had an estimated 4,922 people experiencing homelessness in 2023 — or 73.3 per 10,000 residents.
- New York had 103,200 (52.4 per 10,000), while Vermont had 3,295 (50.9 per 10,000).
- Mississippi had the lowest rate, with 982 people experiencing homelessness (3.3 per 10,000).
How it works: Every year, HUD attempts to estimate the number of people experiencing homelessness on a single night — in this case, in late January 2023 — to offer a snapshot useful to policymakers, advocates, researchers and others.
The big picture: U.S. homelessness reached a record high in 2023, with about 653,100 people affected.
- Homelessness increased by about 12% nationwide between 2022 and 2023, per HUD's report.
- The 2023 figure "is the highest number of people reported as experiencing homelessness on a single night since reporting began in 2007," per HUD.
