Roughly 553,000 people were experiencing homelessness on a single night in the United States in 2018, according to The 2018 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress.
About two-thirds (65%) were staying in sheltered locations—emergency shelters or transitional housing programs—and about one-third (35%) were in unsheltered locations such as on the street, says the Department of Housing and Urban Development report.
The overall number of people experiencing homelessness increased 0.3% from 2017.
Here are 10 takeaways from the recent report:
1. More than 180,000 people in families with children were experiencing homelessness. This group declined by 2% between 2017 and 2018. Still, one-fifth of people experiencing homelessness on a single night were children.
2. Nearly 38,000 veterans were experiencing homeless on a single night in January 2018. The number of veterans experiencing homelessness declined by 5% between 2017 and 2018 and dropped by 48% since 2009.
3. About 36,000 people were experiencing homelessness as unaccompanied youth (people younger than 25 experiencing homelessness on their own). Just over half of unaccompanied youth were unsheltered (51%), a much higher rate than for all people experiencing homelessness (35%) and a somewhat higher rate than for people experiencing homelessness as individuals (48%).
4. There were 88,640 individuals with chronic patterns of homelessness, a 2% increase from 2017. This is the second consecutive year in which chronic homelessness has increased after declining for eight years.
5. Nearly 49% of all people experiencing homelessness identified their race as white. While comprising nearly half of the homeless population, people identifying as white were underrepresented compared to their share of the U.S. population (72%). Nearly 40% of the people experiencing homelessness were black or African-American. They were over represented compared to their share of the U.S. population, 13%.
6. In January 2018, 3,900 people were staying in sheltered locations specifically for people displaced by presidentially declared national disasters. People in these locations were displaced from areas struck by hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Maria, and Nate; Western wildfires; and other storms and events.
7. About 60.2% of all homeless people were men or boys while 39.1% were women or girls. Transgender people made up about 0.5% of the homeless population, and gender nonconforming, 0.2%. Three percent more women experienced homelessness as individuals in 2018 than in 2017.
8. Half of all people experiencing homelessness were in one of five states: California (24% or 129,972 people); New York (17% or 91,897 people); Florida (6% or 31,030 people); Texas (5% or 25,310 people); and Washington (4% or 22,304 people).
9. The number of people experiencing homelessness declined in 31 states and the District of Columbia between 2017 and 2018. The largest absolute decreases were in California (1,560 fewer people) and Florida (1,160 fewer people). The largest percentage decreases were in North Dakota (50%) and Wyoming (27%).
10. The number of people experiencing homelessness increased in 19 states between 2017 and 2018. The largest absolute increases were in Massachusetts (2,503 more people), New York (2,394 more people), Texas (1,762 more people), and Washington (1,192 more people). The largest percentage increases were in South Dakota (23%) and Connecticut (17%).
For more information, read The 2018 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress.
