Utah sees less homelessness than other western states
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Although homelessness is worsening in Utah, it's even more widespread in almost all other western states.
- That's according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's 2023 homelessness report.
By the numbers: Utah had 10.9 people experiencing homelessness per 10,000 residents in January 2023, Axios' Alex Fitzpatrick and Alice Feng report.
- That's lower than all other states in or west of the Rocky Mountains, except Wyoming.
- Most western states had significantly higher homelessness rates, with Oregon, California and Hawaii counting 40 or more residents per 10,000.
Details: The annual report from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) attempts to estimate the number of people experiencing homelessness on a single night — in this case, late last January — to offer a snapshot useful to policymakers, advocates, researchers and others.
- Yes, but: Some advocates believe point-in-time counts can be misleading and may drastically underestimate the true number of houseless individuals, as Axios Portland has reported.
The big picture: The U.S. reached a record high in 2023, Axios' April Rubin reports, with about 653,100 people experiencing homelessness.
- Homelessness increased by about 12% nationwide between 2022 and 2023, per HUD's report.