Year-over-year homelessness declines

Last updated: June 6, 2026

By Robbie Sequeira | Stateline

There were fewer homeless people in the United States on a single night in January 2025 than in January 2024, but homelessness increased in 28 states, according to the latest federal count.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development counted 745,652 homeless people in its latest “point-in-time” estimate, down 3% from the year before. The count was conducted before the Trump administration late last year announced a shift away from long-term housing in favor of funding transitional housing with work and addiction treatment requirements.

HUD said the decrease was driven largely by a 4% decline in the number of people in emergency shelter. The number of unsheltered homeless people fell by 3%.

In releasing the new numbers, the Trump administration noted that the overall homeless population has increased 27% since 2013 — proof, it said, that so-called housing first policies that many cities and states have pursued during that time have not been successful.

Among the states, North Carolina saw the largest percentage increase in its homeless population. Its homeless count jumped by 3,886 or 33%, largely because of Hurricane Helene, which displaced thousands of residents in the fall of 2024, prompting the addition of 4,000 emergency shelter beds.

Oregon (up 19%) and Maryland (up 17%) were the only other states that reported increases of more than 15%. Hawaii (down 41%) and Illinois (down 44%) saw the largest percentage decreases.

Nationwide, about 22 of every 10,000 people are homeless on a given night. The state with the highest percentage of homeless people is New York, where 73 out of every 10,000 people are homeless.

One of the big improvements from 2024 to 2025 was a decline in the number of unhoused families with children, which was down 11%.

Stateline reporter Robbie Sequeira can be reached at rsequeira@stateline.org.