More Americans Are Experiencing Homelessness

The number of adults experiencing homelessness is on the rise in the United States. Data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, shows that 771,480 people were living in a state of homelessness in 2024, marking an 18 percent increase from the year before. Two thirds of these were individuals, while one third were people in families. Last year saw a particularly worrying rise in the number of families entering homelessness, up 39 percent from 2023, as individuals saw a 9.6 percent rise.

While it remains more common for men to experience homelessness than women in the U.S., at 459,568 men (60 percent) to 302,660 women (40 percent), the gap is narrowing. According to an analysis by the National Alliance to End Homelessness, between 2015 and 2023, 25,665 women and 56,085 men newly entered homelessness. However, from 2023 to 2024, the number of newly homeless women surged to 52,651, while the number of men rose to 64,408. Put another way, women accounted for 31 percent of newly homeless individuals from 2015 to 2023, but that share rose to 45 percent in the 2023–2024 period, with men making up the remaining 55 percent. Although unsheltered homelessness declined for both men and women between 2023 and 2024, men remained more likely to be unsheltered.

As Covid-era protection programs expired and the cost-of-living crisis hit the country, homelessness numbers rose. At the same time, Covid restrictions on shelter capacity ended, leading to more homeless individuals living in shelters once again.

This data is based on Point-in-Time (PIT) count, on a single night in January.