There are around 772,000 homeless Americans (nearly 230 for ever 100,000 Americans), according to the last time a point-in-count assessment was done in 2024.

In this visualization, Visual Capitalist’s Pallavi Rao, take a look at the highest homelessness rates by state, measured per 100,000 residents.

The data for this visualization comes from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, paired with 2024 population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau.

⚠️ Caveats: Point-in-time counts were conducted in January, 2024 by local Continuums of Care (CoCs), with latitude in methodology. They risk undercounting unsheltered populations, people couch‑surfing, or those avoiding contact.

High Housing Costs & Homelessness

Hawaii tops the ranking with 805 people experiencing homelessness for every 100,000 residents.

This is more than three times the national average of 227.

Rank
State
State Code
Homelessness per
100,000 Residents
Overall Homeless Population
1
Hawaii
HI
805
11,637
2
District of Columbia
DC
800
5,616
3
New York
NY
795
158,019
4
Oregon
OR
535
22,875
5
Vermont
VT
533
3,458
6
California
CA
474
187,084
7
Massachusetts
MA
411
29,360
8
Washington
WA
396
31,554
9
Alaska
AK
363
2,686
10
Colorado
CO
314
18,715
11
Nevada
NV
309
10,106
12
Rhode Island
RI
220
2,442
13
New Mexico
NM
217
4,631
14
Illinois
IL
203
25,832
15
Arizona
AZ
194
14,737
16
Maine
ME
192
2,702
17
Montana
MT
177
2,008
18
New Hampshire
NH
159
2,245
19
Minnesota
MN
159
9,201
20
South Dakota
SD
145
1,338
21
Idaho
ID
137
2,750
22
Nebraska
NE
136
2,720
23
New Jersey
NJ
134
12,762
24
Florida
FL
134
31,362
25
Oklahoma
OK
133
5,467
26
Delaware
DE
129
1,358
27
Missouri
MO
117
7,312
28
Tennessee
TN
115
8,280
29
Kentucky
KY
114
5,231
30
Utah
UT
110
3,869
31
Georgia
GA
110
12,290
32
North Dakota
ND
109
865
33
Pennsylvania
PA
108
14,088
34
North Carolina
NC
105
11,626
35
West Virginia
WV
101
1,779
36
Ohio
OH
99
11,759
37
Maryland
MD
97
6,069
38
Michigan
MI
96
9,739
39
Kansas
KS
94
2,793
40
Connecticut
CT
93
3,410
41
Indiana
IN
91
6,285
42
Arkansas
AR
90
2,783
43
Texas
TX
89
27,987
44
Alabama
AL
89
4,601
45
Wyoming
WY
85
501
46
Wisconsin
WI
85
5,049
47
South Carolina
SC
84
4,593
48
Iowa
IA
81
2,631
49
Virginia
VA
81
7,141
50
Louisiana
LA
75
3,469
51
Mississippi
MS
35
1,041
N/A
U.S.
USA
227
771,480

Washington, D.C. is next at 800, reflecting the high cost of living and limited affordable housing in the nation’s capital.

New York ranks third at 795, driven largely by the concentrated shelter population in New York City.

Together, these three jurisdictions account for nearly 175,000 unhoused individuals.

West Coast Living Costs Pressures Push Numbers Higher

Four West Coast states—Oregon, California, Washington, and Alaska—sit firmly in the top 10.

Oregon’s rate has climbed to 535 amid rising rents in Portland, while California’s 187,000 unhoused people represent the largest absolute total in the country.

Seattle’s booming technology sector and limited housing supply help push Washington to nearly 400 per 100,000.

These states share a common thread: home prices that have consistently outpaced wage growth, leaving some residents on the brink of housing insecurity.

📊 Related: Look at the newest data around average house prices in each U.S. state.

Southern and Midwestern States See Lower Rates

At the opposite end of the spectrum, Southern and Midwestern states generally report far lower rates.

Mississippi posts the lowest figure—just 35 people per 100,000—followed by Louisiana (75) and Virginia (81).

Lower housing costs, sprawling land availability, and fewer large metro areas likely contribute to these lower rates, although undercounts in rural regions remain a challenge.

Even populous states such as Texas and Florida fall near the middle of the pack at 89 and 134 respectively, showing that population alone does not dictate homelessness levels.

Overall, the data underscore a powerful link between housing affordability and homelessness. States with soaring rents and tight markets consistently rank higher, while those with more modest housing costs tend to fare better.

For more related coverage, check out The World’s Most Unaffordable Housing Markets on Voronoi, the new app from Visual Capitalist.