Loading ...US – Homeless Population Grows, Putting U.S. on Track for Another Record – WSJ
Counts from encampments, streets, and shelters are largely higher than they were in 2023, according to preliminary data collected and reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.
The numbers come from more than 250 homeless-service organizations covering cities, metro areas and vast rural areas. They are meant to reflect homelessness as it existed on a single night early this year. The Journal’s count includes about 550,000 homeless people so far, up about 10% from what these places reported last year.
The trend thus far means the U.S. is likely to top the roughly 653,000 homeless people estimated in 2023—the highest number since the government started reporting comparable data in 2007.
The final count will depend on outstanding data from places that haven’t yet divulged their 2024 numbers, especially New York City, which reported the highest count last year.