Homelessness in America hit a grim milestone in recent years, and the numbers keep telling an uneven story depending on where you look. Some states carry an outsized share of the national total simply because of population size, while others land near the top because housing costs have spiraled out of reach for so many residents. Using the most recent state-level breakdowns from HUD’s Annual Homelessness Assessment Report, here’s a look at the seven states carrying the heaviest homelessness burden in the country today.
It’s worth noting upfront that these figures come from HUD’s Point-in-Time count, a single-night tally conducted every January that undercounts the true scope of housing instability since it misses people doubled up with family or staying in motels. Still, it remains the most consistent yardstick available for comparing states, and the gaps between the top of this list and everywhere else are striking.
1. California
California isn’t just first on this list, it’s in a category of its own. On the night counted by HUD in January 2024, there were at least 187,084 people experiencing homelessness in the state of California alone.[1] That single state accounted for roughly a quarter of everyone experiencing homelessness in the entire country that year, based on the federal tally.
In 2024, 24% of the nation’s homeless population came from California, with another 21% coming from New York.[2] The affordability crunch helps explain why. In California, an average home sold in 2024 cost $930,000, while an average worker earned just $80,000 a year.[2] Unsheltered homelessness is also a bigger part of the picture here than almost anywhere else, with California recording an unsheltered rate of 66% in 2024[3], meaning most people counted were living on the streets rather than in shelters.
2. New York
New York sits a distant but clear second, and its trajectory over the past couple of years has been dramatic. There were 158,019 people experiencing homelessness in the state of New York[1] on the same January 2024 night that California’s count was taken. That’s a stunning figure for a state with roughly half the population of California.
What makes New York’s situation unusual is the speed of the increase. Between 2023 and 2024, New York saw a 53 percent increase in homelessness[4], with several local agencies pointing to backlogged evictions and a shortage of affordable housing as key drivers. Unlike California, New York’s system leans heavily on shelters rather than street homelessness. About 95% of the homeless populations in Massachusetts, New York and Vermont were sheltered[3], a reflection of the state’s right-to-shelter legal mandate, which obligates cities like New York to provide a bed to anyone who asks.
3. Washington
Washington rounds out the top three with a homeless population far larger than you’d expect from its size. Washington recorded 31,600 people experiencing homelessness[5] in the most recent full state-level count, putting it firmly among the five states that together account for well over half of the nation’s total. High housing costs concentrated around the Seattle metro area are widely cited as the driving force.
What stands out about Washington is how disproportionate its ranking is relative to its population. Washington ranks third in homelessness despite ranking just thirteenth among states by total population[6], a gap that highlights just how acute the state’s housing affordability problem has become. Homeless veterans have also been a persistent concern in the state, with Washington regularly appearing among the states with the largest veteran homeless populations in federal reporting.
4. Florida
Florida’s homelessness numbers reflect its sheer size as much as anything else, but the totals are still significant. Florida recorded 31,400 people experiencing homelessness[5], nearly identical to Washington’s count and enough to place it firmly in the nation’s top five. Rapid population growth, rising rents, and a limited stock of affordable housing have all played a role in keeping Florida’s numbers elevated.
Interestingly, Florida is also one of the few states bucking the recent upward trend. Florida was one of four states that had rate decreases, alongside Wyoming, Texas, and South Carolina[7], in the most recent year-over-year comparison. That’s a modest silver lining for a state that still carries one of the largest raw homeless totals in the country, even as its per-capita rate has started to ease slightly.
5. Massachusetts
Massachusetts is the biggest surprise on this list. It’s a relatively small, densely populated state, yet it punches well above its weight in total homelessness. Massachusetts recorded 29,400 people experiencing homelessness[5], a number that puts it ahead of far more populous states. Massachusetts places fifth by homelessness despite ranking just sixteenth among states by total population[6], one of the starkest mismatches in the entire dataset.
The reasons behind Massachusetts’s surge are fairly well documented. Massachusetts saw a 74% increase in family homelessness, which many communities attributed to the state’s right-to-shelter law and an influx of arriving migrant families, refugees, and asylum seekers who didn’t have living arrangements yet.[8] That legal obligation to shelter families, combined with new arrivals, pushed the state’s numbers up faster than almost anywhere else in the country.
6. Texas
Texas lands sixth, and given its enormous population, its relative position is actually a sign that the state’s homelessness rate is comparatively moderate. Texas has nearly 28,000 people experiencing homelessness, the 6th highest total in the country.[9] Spread across a population of over 30 million, that works out to a fairly low rate compared to smaller states further down the per-capita rankings.
With a population of 31 million, Texas’s homeless count works out to just 9.0 per 10,000 residents[9], a rate far below states like New York or Oregon. Texas was also among the states where the rate actually ticked downward in the most recent comparison, according to federal data, suggesting the state’s massive raw numbers are more a function of population scale than a worsening crisis relative to its size.
7. Oregon
Oregon closes out the list, but its per-capita numbers are actually some of the worst in the nation even though its raw total is smaller than the other six states here. Oregon recorded 22,875 people experiencing homelessness, a rate of 53.9 per 10,000 residents, roughly six times the Texas rate, driven by a population of just 4.2 million and far higher housing costs.[9]
Oregon’s unsheltered crisis has also drawn national attention. Oregon had one of the highest rates of unsheltered homelessness in the country in 2024, at 62%[3], meaning most people experiencing homelessness in the state were sleeping outside rather than in shelters. Portland in particular has become a national symbol of the state’s struggle to balance encampment policy with limited shelter capacity.
Why These Seven States Stand Out
Looking at this list together, a pattern emerges pretty quickly. Housing costs are the common thread running through nearly every state here, whether it’s California’s median home prices, Massachusetts’s rental market, or Oregon’s affordability squeeze in Portland. California and New York together account for 45% of all homelessness in the United States, despite comprising just 18% of the total population[9], which shows just how concentrated this crisis really is at the top of the list.
The national trend has been mixed lately. The 745,652 people counted in January 2025 represented a 3.3% decline from 2024, though this followed sharp increases of 12.1% in 2023 and 18.1% in 2024[6], so any recent dip needs to be read against a backdrop of historically high levels. Whether that modest decline continues or reverses will likely depend heavily on what happens in these seven states, since together they carry such a large share of the national burden.
