In this article we are going to rank the 25 US cities with the highest homeless population.
Homelessness is a serious problem in the United States. According to the 2023 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report (AHAR) by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, around 653,100 individuals in the US experienced homelessness. This translates to approximately 20 people per every 10,000 people.
There are degrees of homelessness in the US. Of the total homeless people in the country, around 60% live in sheltered homelessness, while the remaining 40% are unsheltered. Homelessness in the country is increasing at an alarming rate, increasing by 12% in 2023 as compared to the previous year. 2023 marked the highest number of homeless people in the US, experiencing an 11% rise in individuals and a 16% rise in families with children.
READ NEXT: 25 Cities with the Highest Homeless Population in the World and 25 States with the Smallest Homeless Populations Per Capita in the US
Homelessness Across Geography, Age, and Race
Trends in homelessness across the country vary by geographical region. Urban areas represent around 59% of the total homeless population, while rural and suburban areas account for around 18% and 23%, respectively. Furthermore, families with children are rapidly losing their housing arrangements: they increased by 16% in 2023 as compared to 2022 and represent nearly 28% of the total homeless population in the US.
Similar worsening trends can be detected in unaccompanied youth under the age of 25. Their number increased by 15% in 2023 compared to 2022, reaching 34,700 people and accounting for approximately 22% of the homeless population.
Homelessness also varies across people of different races and ethnicities. African Americans and indigenous people, including Pacific Islanders and Native Americans, rank among the highest homeless populations. African Americans represent 13% of the total population of the United States and account for 50% of the homeless families with children and 37% of the homeless population.
However, Asian Americans are undergoing the most significant percentage increase in homelessness, increasing by around 40% in 2023 as compared to 2022. In addition, the group experienced a 64% increase in unsheltered homelessness. Hispanics and Latinos are also being significantly impacted by these trends, with homelessness in these groups increasing by 28% in 2023.
Why is Homelessness on the Rise in the US?
These alarming trends depicting the rise of homelessness across the United States can be attributed to several factors, with the most prominent being increasing rents and a lack of affordable housing. While the national inventory of beds for people experiencing homelessness grew by 7% in 2023 as compared to 2022, the rising numbers of homeless people surpassed these remediation measures.
A significant number of people in the country are experiencing a housing crisis, with a lack of affordable housing forcing people into homelessness. A study by Homebay shows that expensive housing is linked to the occurrence of homelessness in the United States. It deduced that cities with property prices higher than the national average had a greater occurrence of homelessness.
In contrast, cities with prices lower than the national average had around 2.5 times fewer homeless people. It is thus quite likely for cities with a high number of homeless people to have expensive housing.
With these trends in view, let’s look at the 25 cities with the highest homeless population in the US. You can also look at 30 Cities with the Highest Homeless Population in the World and 25 Cities with the Highest Homeless Population Per Capita in the US.
25 Cities with the Highest Homeless Population in the US
Our Methodology
To compile our list of 25 cities with the highest homeless populations in the US, we consulted the 2023 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report by The US Department of Housing and Urban Development. We used the latest data available in their dataset, which provided us with estimates of people experiencing homelessness in every state in the United States. We then used the states as proxies for their largest cities. The list of the 25 cities with the highest homeless populations in the US is arranged in ascending order of the total number of homeless people.
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25 Cities with the Highest Homeless Population in the US
25. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Total Homeless Population: 4,861 people
Milwaukee ranks 25th on our list of the 25 cities with the highest homeless population in the US. It is the largest city in the US state of Wisconsin and is the county seat of Milwaukee County. The city is located on Lake Michigan’s western shore.
24. Washington, DC
Total Homeless Population: 4,922 people
Washington DC is the capital of the United States and is a non-state territory. It is included on our list because it has one of the highest homeless populations in the country, with estimates showing 4,922 homeless people as of 2023.
23. Baltimore, Maryland
Total Homeless Population: 5,865 people
Baltimore is the largest city and the economic center of Maryland. It comprises the northeastern hub of the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area. According to estimates, the state of Maryland has a homeless population of around 5,865 people as of 2023.
22. Indianapolis, Indiana
Total Homeless Population: 6,017 people
Indianapolis takes the 22nd spot on our list of the 25 cities with the highest homeless population in the US. It is the capital and largest city of the state of Indiana, which lies in the eastern half of the United States. Indiana is located in the Midwestern region of the United States, and as of 2023, around nine out of every 10,000 individuals in the state are homeless.
21. Honolulu, Hawaii
Total Homeless Population: 6,223 people
Hawaii is an island state in the Pacific Ocean and is the only US state not on the North American mainland. It is an archipelago that lies around 2,000 miles southwest of the United States. Homelessness is a common problem in Hawaii and affects around 43 out of every 10,000 people living there. Honolulu is the capital and largest city of the state.
20. Kansas City, Missouri
Total Homeless Population: 6,708 people
Kansas City is the largest city in the US state of Missouri by area and population. It ranks 20th on our list of the cities with the highest homeless population in the US, with estimates showing around 6,708 homeless people living in the state as of 2023. This translates to approximately 11 homeless individuals out of every 10,000 state residents.
19. Virginia Beach, Virginia
Total Homeless Population: 6,761 people
Officially known as the City of Virginia Beach, Virginia Beach is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Virginia by total area. Virginia is a southeastern state in the US and has around 6,761 homeless people, according to recent estimates. Eight out of every 10,000 individuals living in the state are homeless as of 2023.
18. Minneapolis, Minnesota
Total Homeless Population: 8,393 people
Minneapolis is the largest city in Minnesota and is the county seat of Hennepin County. It has a population of around 429,954 people, according to statistics from its 2020 census. Minnesota has one of the highest homeless populations in the US, with around 8,393 homeless people residing in the state as of 2023.
17. Detroit, Michigan
Total Homeless Population: 8,997 people
Estimates show that around 8,997 homeless people live in the US state of Michigan as of 2023. The state’s most populous city is Detroit, which ranks among the top US cities with the highest homeless populations. Detroit is the largest US city on the Canadian border and is the county seat of Wayne County.
16. Nashville, Tennessee
Total Homeless Population: 9,215 people
Nashville ranks 16th on our list of the 25 cities with the highest homeless population in the US. Often known as the Music City, it is the capital and the most populous city of the US state of Tennessee. Nashville is also the county seat of Davidson County. The state has a rate of 13 homeless individuals per 10,000 residents.
15. Charlotte, North Carolina
Total Homeless Population: 9,754 people
Around 9,754 homeless people live in North Carolina as of 2023, according to recent estimates. The state has a rate of 9 homeless individuals per 10,000 residents. Charlotte, its largest city, ranks 15th on our list of the top cities with the highest homeless population in the US.
14. Newark, New Jersey
Total Homeless Population: 10,264 people
Newark is the most populous city in New Jersey. It is the county seat of Essex County, and is a principal city of the New York metropolitan area. More than 10,000 people are homeless in the state as of 2023, with recent estimates showing nearly 11 people affected by homelessness out of every 10,000 residents.
13. Columbus, Ohio
Total Homeless Population: 11,386 people
Columbus is the largest city and the state capital of Ohio. It houses Ohio State University and the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. Ohio is located in the midwestern region of the United States and is bordered by Lake Erie to the north. Latest estimates suggest that Ohio’s homeless population stands at 11,386 people as of 2023.
12. Chicago, Illinois
Total Homeless Population: 11,947 people
Chicago is one of the most popular cities in the US and is the most populous city in the US state of Illinois. Illinois lies in the midwestern United States and has a total homeless population of around 11,947 people as of 2023.
11. Atlanta, Georgia
Total Homeless Population: 12,294 people
Atlanta is the state capital and the largest city of the US state of Georgia. It lies in the northwest region of the state in the Piedmont area. The city has a population center of over 475,000 and a metro-area population of more than 5.5 million people. The state of Georgia has a rate of around 11 homeless people for every 10,000 residents of the state.
10. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Total Homeless Population: 12,556 people
Philadelphia ranks 10th on our list of the 25 cities with the highest homeless population in the US. Philadelphia is the largest city in Pennsylvania and the sixth-largest city in the US, with a population of around 1.6 million. Homelessness is rampant in the city and the state, with 10 out of every 10,000 people experiencing it.