Special Report
48 Major US Cities Struggling to Shelter Growing Homeless Population
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The number of people experiencing homelessness in the United States in 2018 increased for the second consecutive year. In 2017, homelessness had increased for the first time in seven years. On a single night last year, more than half a million Americans lacked permanent shelter, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
A significant number of people staying in sheltered locations in January 2018 — about 4,000 — were likely displaced by presidentially declared national disasters, including Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Maria, and Nate.
The problem of homelessness is at its root a problem of affordable housing. According to statistics compiled by the National Alliance to End Homelessness, 11 million low-income households spend half or more of their annual income on housing. As housing prices — especially in large cities — continue to rise faster than incomes, more people are likely to become homeless.
There are serious health risks associated with homelessness, which increases exposure to weather and disease. Homelessness can also lead to — and is often accompanied by — untreated medical issues, mental illness, social isolation, and increased risk of substance use disorders.
While the number of families with children experiencing homelessness declined between 2017 and 2018, a large share of the country’s homeless population are children. More than 180,000 people in families with children and approximately 36,000 individuals under 25 experienced homelessness.
Among the myriad of government anti-poverty programs is the Continuum of Care Program, which was designed by HUD to promote community efforts across the nation to end homelessness. Federal funds are dispersed through these jurisdictions to the communities they contain — cities, counties, and sometimes entire states.
Using data provided by HUD, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the estimated total number of individuals experiencing homelessness in the 48 HUD jurisdictions (Continuums of Care) representing the 50 largest cities in America. City population data is for the city proper and came from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2018 American Community Survey. Cities are ranked by total population, in ascending order.
To identify the cities with the most unsheltered homeless people, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed data from the 2018 Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) for the 48 Continuums of Care (CoC) identified as major cities. The CoCs identified as major cities with the highest percentage of their overall homeless population that is unsheltered were considered the cities with the most unsheltered homeless people. The AHAR defines CoCs as “local planning bodies responsible for coordinating the full range of homelessness services in a geographic area, which may cover a city, county, metropolitan area, or an entire state.”
Homeless populations for each CoC are estimated during one night in the last week of January each year. Shelters include emergency shelters, transitional housing programs, safe havens, rapid re-housing programs, permanent supportive housing programs, and other permanent housing programs. The percentage of homeless people in families, in families with children, and the level of chronic homelessness — individuals who have been homeless for one year or more — also came from the HUD. Total population for the city proper is from the 2017 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. All other data is from the 2018 AHAR report.
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
48. Kansas City, Missouri
> Note: Estimate includes Jackson County, Missouri and Wyandotte County, Kansas
> Homeless population: 1,798 (includes 324 unsheltered)
> City population: 151,042
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Source: Mario Tama / Getty Images
47. New Orleans, Louisiana
> Note: Estimate includes Jefferson Parish
> Homeless population: 1,188 (includes 594 unsheltered)
> City population: 388,182
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Source: Sean Pavone / Getty Images
46. Wichita, Kansas
> Note: Estimate includes Sedgwick County
> Homeless population: 573 (includes 58 unsheltered)
> City population: 389,054
Source: Caleb Long / Wikimedia Commons
45. Tulsa, Oklahoma
> Note: Estimate includes city & county of Tulsa
> Homeless population: 1,083 (includes 226 unsheltered)
> City population: 401,352
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Source: AlexiusHoratius / Wikimedia Commons
44. Minneapolis, Minnesota
> Note: Estimate includes Hennepin County
> Homeless population: 3,013 (includes 404 unsheltered)
> City population: 411,452
43. Oakland, Berkeley, California
> Note: Estimate includes Alameda County
> Homeless population: 5,496 (includes 3,863 unsheltered)
> City population: 417,442
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Source: Joe Raedle / Getty Images
42. Miami, Florida
> Note: Estimate includes Dade County
> Homeless population: 3,516 (includes 1,030 unsheltered)
> City population: 443,007
41. Raleigh, North Carolina
> Note: Estimate includes Wake County
> Homeless population: 983 (includes 192 unsheltered)
> City population: 449,477
Source: John Moore / Getty Images
40. Colorado Springs, Colorado
> Note: Estimate includes El Paso County
> Homeless population: 1,551 (includes 513 unsheltered)
> City population: 450,000
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Source: Davel5957 / Getty Images
39. Virginia Beach, Virginia
> Note: Estimate only includes city proper
> Homeless population: 243 (includes 72 unsheltered)
> City population: 450,057
Source: Davel5957 / Getty Images
38. Omaha, Nebraska
> Note: Estimate includes the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area
> Homeless population: 1,411 (includes 64 unsheltered)
> City population: 463,081
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Source: Barry Williams / Getty Images
37. Atlanta, Georgia
> Homeless population: 3,076 (includes 740 unsheltered)
> City population: 465,230
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Source: Ron_Thomas / Getty Images
36. Long Beach, California
> Note: Estimate only includes city proper
> Homeless population: 1,873 (includes 1,208 unsheltered)
> City population: 470,489
Source: Justin Sullivan / Getty Images
35. Sacramento, California
> Note: Estimate includes county of Sacramento
> Homeless population: 3,621 (includes 2,052 unsheltered)
> City population: 489,650
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Source: Davel5957 / Getty Images
34. Fresno, California
> Note: Estimate includes Fresno and Madera counties
> Homeless population: 2,144 (includes 1,681 unsheltered)
> City population: 519,037
Source: dszc / Getty Images
33. Tucson, Arizona
> Note: Estimate includes Pima County
> Homeless population: 1,380 (includes 363 unsheltered)
> City population: 530,905
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Source: Spencer Platt / Getty Images
32. Albuquerque, New Mexico
> Homeless population: 1,340 (includes 384 unsheltered)
> City population: 556,718
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Source: Raymond Boyd / Getty Images
31. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
> Note: Estimate includes Milwaukee city & county
> Homeless population: 871 (includes 161 unsheltered)
> City population: 599,086
Source: Raymond Boyd / Getty Images
30. Louisville, Kentucky
> Note: Estimate includes Jefferson County
> Homeless population: 926 (includes 153 unsheltered)
> City population: 615,478
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Source: Spencer Platt / Getty Images
29. Baltimore, Maryland
> Homeless population: 2,508 (includes 546 unsheltered)
> City population: 619,796
Source: Sandy Huffaker / Getty Images
28. Las Vegas, Nevada
> Note: Estimate includes Clark County
> Homeless population: 6,083 (includes 3,884 unsheltered)
> City population: 621,662
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Source: Brett Deering / Getty Images
27. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
> Homeless population: 1,183 (includes 394 unsheltered)
> City population: 629,191
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Source: George Rose / Getty Images
26. Portland, Gresham, Oregon
> Note: Estimate includes Multnomah County
> Homeless population: 4,019 (includes 1,668 unsheltered)
> City population: 630,331
Source: Spencer Platt / Getty Images
25. Nashville, Tennessee
> Note: Estimate includes Davidson County
> Homeless population: 2,298 (includes 616 unsheltered)
> City population: 654,187
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Source: Nclauzing / Getty Images
24. Memphis, Tennessee
> Note: Estimate includes Shelby County
> Homeless population: 1,226 (includes 102 unsheltered)
> City population: 654,723
Source: Spencer Platt / Getty Images
23. Boston, Massachusetts
> Note: Estimate includes only city proper
> Homeless population: 6,188 (includes 163 unsheltered)
> City population: 669,158
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Source: Bettmann / Getty Images
22. District of Columbia, District of Columbia
> Homeless population: 6,904 (includes 600 unsheltered)
> City population: 672,391
Source: DenisTangneyJr / Getty Images
21. El Paso, Texas
> Note: Estimate includes El Paso County
> Homeless population: 892 (includes 177 unsheltered)
> City population: 678,266
Source: Joe Raedle / Getty Images
20. Metropolitan Denver, Colorado
> Note: Estimate includes Denver metropolitan area
> Homeless population: 5,317 (includes 1,308 unsheltered)
> City population: 678,467
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Source: Bill Pugliano / Getty Images
19. Detroit, Michigan
> Homeless population: 1,769 (includes 158 unsheltered)
> City population: 679,865
Source: George Rose / Getty Images
18. Seattle, Washington
> Note: Estimate includes King County
> Homeless population: 12,112 (includes 6,320 unsheltered)
> City population: 688,245
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Source: J. Michael Jones / Getty Images
17. Charlotte, North Carolina
> Note: Estimate includes Mecklenberg
> Homeless population: 1,668 (includes 209 unsheltered)
> City population: 826,060
Source: typhoonski / iStock
16. Fort Worth, Arlington, Texas
> Note: Estimate includes Tarrant County
> Homeless population: 2,015 (includes 678 unsheltered)
> City population: 835,129
Source: mrtom-uk / Getty Images
15. Columbus, Ohio
> Note: Estimate includes Franklin County
> Homeless population: 1,807 (includes 288 unsheltered)
> City population: 852,144
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Source: Gerry Justice / Getty Images
14. Indianapolis, Indiana
> Homeless population: 1,682 (includes 136 unsheltered)
> City population: 853,431
Source: Smith Collection/Gado / Getty Images
13. San Francisco, California
> Homeless population: 6,857 (includes 4,353 unsheltered)
> City population: 864,263
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Source: Andrew Lichtenstein / Getty Images
12. Jacksonville-Duval, Florida
> Note: Estimate includes Clay County
> Homeless population: 1,794 (includes 429 unsheltered)
> City population: 867,313
Source: RoschetzkyIstockPhoto / Getty Images
11. Austin, Texas
> Note: Estimate includes Travis County
> Homeless population: 2,147 (includes 1,014 unsheltered)
> City population: 916,906
Source: Justin Sullivan / Getty Images
10. San Jose, California
> Note: Estimate includes Santa Clara City & County
> Homeless population: 7,254 (includes 5,448 unsheltered)
> City population: 1,023,031
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Source: nthomas76207 / Wikimedia Commons
9. Dallas, Texas
> Note: Estimate includes Dallas County
> Homeless population: 4,121 (includes 1,341 unsheltered)
> City population: 1,300,122
Source: George Rose / Getty Images
8. San Diego, California
> Note: Estimate includes San Diego city and county
> Homeless population: 8,576 (includes 4,990 unsheltered)
> City population: 1,390,966
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Source: Robert Alexander / Getty Images
7. San Antonio, Texas
> Note: Estimate includes Bexar County
> Homeless population: 3,066 (includes 1,353 unsheltered)
> City population: 1,461,623
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Source: Spencer Platt / Getty Images
6. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
> Homeless population: 5,788 (includes 1,083 unsheltered)
> City population: 1,569,657
Source: Ann Johansson / Getty Images
5. Phoenix, Arizona
> Note: Estimate includes Mesa, Maricopa County
> Homeless population: 6,298 (includes 2,618 unsheltered)
> City population: 1,574,421
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Source: Sean Pavone / Getty Images
4. Houston, Pasadena, Conroe, Texas
> Note: Estimate includes Harris, Ft. Bend, and Montgomery counties
> Homeless population: 4,143 (includes 1,614 unsheltered)
> City population: 2,267,336
Source: Tim Boyle / Getty Images
3. Chicago, Illinois
> Homeless population: 5,450 (includes 1,357 unsheltered)
> City population: 2,722,586
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Source: David McNew / Getty Images
2. Los Angeles, California
> Note: Estimate includes Los Angeles city & county
> Homeless population: 49,955 (includes 37,570 unsheltered)
> City population: 3,949,776
Source: Drew Angerer / Getty Images
1. New York City, New York
> Homeless population: 78,676 (includes 3,711 unsheltered)
> City population: 8,560,072
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