New York City has the largest homeless population among major urban Continuums of Care in the latest federal data available in 2026. HUD counted 125,683 people in the New York City CoC, more than any other urban homelessness system in the country.
Los Angeles ranks second with 67,777 people across the Los Angeles City and County CoC. Seattle and King County are a distant third at 16,936.
The year in the title needs one explanation. The latest federal comparison was published by HUD in May 2026, but it reports Point-in-Time counts conducted in January 2025. There is no national January 2026 CoC dataset in the report used for this ranking.
HUD counted 745,652 people experiencing homelessness nationwide on that January 2025 night. Of them, 479,332 were in emergency shelters, safe havens or transitional housing, and 266,320 were living in places not intended for regular sleeping.
A Continuum of Care, or CoC, may cover one city, an entire county, or several municipalities. Los Angeles, Seattle, Phoenix and San Diego therefore represent much larger service areas than a city-only CoC such as New York or San Francisco.
Key Findings
- New York City ranks first with 125,683 people in CoC NY-600.
- Los Angeles ranks second with 67,777 people in CA-600.
- Seattle and King County rank third with 16,936 people in WA-500.
- New York and Los Angeles together account for 193,460 people, almost 26% of the national PIT total.
- Six urban CoCs reported more than 10,000 people experiencing homelessness.
- New York sheltered 96.3% of the people in its count, compared with only 34.5% in Los Angeles.
- Long Beach had the highest unsheltered share among the major-city CoCs in this ranking at 71.4%.
- California holds 10 of the 25 places in the ranking.
- Boston sheltered 97.6% of its counted homeless population.
- The national PIT total fell from 771,480 in January 2024 to 745,652 in January 2025, a decline of about 3.3%.
- Chicago alone fell from 18,836 to 7,452, largely because the city wound down temporary shelter capacity used by newly arrived migrants.
- Chronic homelessness still increased by 2.1% to 169,467 people.
Cities and Urban Areas With the Largest Homeless Populations
Video source: World According To Briggs, an independent verified YouTube channel. The video is included for general visual context and is not the source for the HUD figures used below.
| Rank | Main City | CoC Area | CoC Code | State | Homeless Population |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York City | New York City | NY-600 | New York | 125,683 |
| 2 | Los Angeles | Los Angeles City and County | CA-600 | California | 67,777 |
| 3 | Seattle | Seattle and King County | WA-500 | Washington | 16,936 |
| 4 | Denver | Metropolitan Denver | CO-503 | Colorado | 10,774 |
| 5 | San Jose | San Jose and Santa Clara County | CA-500 | California | 10,711 |
| 6 | Portland | Portland, Gresham and Multnomah County | OR-501 | Oregon | 10,526 |
| 7 | San Diego | San Diego City and County | CA-601 | California | 9,905 |
| 8 | Phoenix | Phoenix, Mesa and Maricopa County | AZ-502 | Arizona | 9,734 |
| 9 | Oakland | Oakland, Berkeley and Alameda County | CA-502 | California | 9,262 |
| 10 | San Francisco | San Francisco | CA-501 | California | 8,671 |
| 11 | Las Vegas | Las Vegas and Clark County | NV-500 | Nevada | 7,741 |
| 12 | Santa Ana and Anaheim | Orange County | CA-602 | California | 7,710 |
| 13 | Chicago | Chicago | IL-510 | Illinois | 7,452 |
| 14 | Sacramento | Sacramento City and County | CA-503 | California | 6,995 |
| 15 | Boston | Boston | MA-500 | Massachusetts | 5,540 |
| 16 | Philadelphia | Philadelphia | PA-500 | Pennsylvania | 5,516 |
| 17 | Washington | District of Columbia | DC-500 | District of Columbia | 5,138 |
| 18 | Honolulu | Honolulu City and County | HI-501 | Hawaii | 4,920 |
| 19 | Fresno | Fresno and Madera Counties | CA-514 | California | 4,905 |
| 20 | Stockton | Stockton and San Joaquin County | CA-511 | California | 4,760 |
| 21 | Long Island | Nassau and Suffolk Counties | NY-603 | New York | 4,540 |
| 22 | San Bernardino | San Bernardino City and County | CA-609 | California | 4,320 |
| 23 | Riverside | Riverside City and County | CA-608 | California | 4,229 |
| 24 | Miami | Miami-Dade County | FL-600 | Florida | 3,728 |
| 25 | Long Beach | Long Beach | CA-606 | California | 3,595 |
Data and access. Every count in the ranking comes from HUD’s 2025 AHAR Part 1 and the underlying January 2025 PIT data. HUD provides the downloadable 2007 to 2025 CoC data file, while individual CoC population and subpopulation reports are available through HUD Exchange. The CoC codes in the table allow each row to be checked against the federal source.
Counts describe CoC service areas. They should not be read as city-limit populations unless the CoC follows the same boundaries as the city.
New York and Los Angeles Are in a Separate Tier
The first two places are not close. New York and Los Angeles together account for 193,460 people, almost 26% of the national PIT count.
Seattle ranks third with 16,936. That is only one-quarter of the Los Angeles total and around 13% of New York’s.
Denver, San Jose and Portland Are Separated by Only 248 People
Denver counted 10,774 people, San Jose and Santa Clara County counted 10,711, and Portland, Gresham and Multnomah County counted 10,526.
A few hundred people can shift those positions from one year to the next. Survey coverage, shelter capacity and local counting methods can all affect a one-night total.
1. New York City, New York
New York stands alone at the top with 125,683 people in CoC NY-600, according to HUD’s 2025 PIT data.
New York’s Defining Number Is 96.3%
About 96.3% of the New York count was sheltered, leaving only 3.7% unsheltered. The percentages come from the HUD sheltered and unsheltered totals for NY-600.
That means roughly 121,000 people were in emergency shelter, transitional housing or safe-haven programs on count night. New York therefore has the largest homeless population in the ranking but one of the smallest unsheltered shares.
The city operates the country’s largest municipal shelter system and has legal obligations around access to temporary shelter. Those policies push far more people into the documented shelter system than in Western cities where tens of thousands remain outside.
Family Homelessness Changes the Shape of the Crisis
New York’s total includes a large number of families and children living in temporary accommodation. Rent increases, eviction, domestic violence and loss of income can send entire households into the shelter system without producing a visible street encampment.
Our analysis of the New York City population gives the citywide scale behind the count. The more important distinction here is shelter policy. New York documents homelessness largely indoors.
2. Los Angeles, California
The most important number in Los Angeles is not 67,777. It is the 65.5% who were unsheltered in CoC CA-600.
The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority finalized the CoC total at 67,777 after HUD review changed the sheltered count from 23,503 to 23,362.
More Than 44,000 People Were Living Outside
With 65.5% unsheltered, Los Angeles had about 44,400 people living in tents, vehicles, sidewalks, parks or other places not designed for habitation. New York had almost twice as many homeless people overall, yet far fewer people outside.
That contrast explains why Los Angeles can look more visibly overwhelmed despite having a smaller total.
The 67,777 Figure Does Not Cover All of Los Angeles County
Long Beach, Pasadena and Glendale operate separate CoCs. Their residents are not included in CA-600.
Our Los Angeles population analysis provides local population context, but the homeless count follows service-system boundaries rather than one simple city or county border.
3. Seattle, Washington
Seattle and King County counted 16,936 people in WA-500, making it the largest urban CoC outside New York and California.
The geography is important. WA-500 includes Seattle and surrounding King County communities, so the number captures homelessness across a large regional housing market.
Seattle’s Third-Place Rank Is Regional
People can lose housing in Bellevue, Kent, Renton or another King County community and later use services in Seattle. The CoC count follows that regional system rather than Seattle city limits.
High rent is therefore not only a downtown Seattle issue. Housing costs and shelter demand stretch across the county.
Our Seattle population figures refer to the city itself, so they should not be used as the denominator for the full WA-500 count.
4. Denver, Colorado
Metropolitan Denver reached 10,774 people in CoC CO-503. That places it only 63 people above San Jose and 248 above Portland.
A Higher Sheltered Count Can Push the Total Up
Denver’s system covers the central city and surrounding counties. When additional shelter beds open, people who were previously outside or missed in earlier surveys can move into programs that are easier to count.
For that reason, a higher PIT total is not automatically evidence that more people are sleeping outside. Sheltered and unsheltered trends need to be read separately.
5. San Jose, California
Nearly seven in ten people counted in the San Jose and Santa Clara County CoC were unsheltered. HUD records 10,711 people in CA-500, with an unsheltered share of about 69.8%.
Silicon Valley’s Wealth Does Not Protect Its Lowest-Income Residents
Santa Clara County contains some of the highest-paid technology jobs in the United States, but the housing market is also among the most expensive.
The relevant gap is not between average income and average rent. It is the gap faced by service workers, care workers, retail employees and residents on fixed incomes who compete in the same housing market with much higher earners.
6. Portland, Oregon
CoC OR-501 counted 10,526 people across Portland, Gresham and Multnomah County.
The regional scope explains why a count commonly described as “Portland homelessness” includes people well outside the downtown core.
Encampment Removal and Housing Placement Are Different Outcomes
Portland provides a useful place to make one distinction that applies to many cities. Clearing a camp changes where people sleep. It reduces homelessness only when the people involved enter shelter or permanent housing.
The sheltered and unsheltered portions of the PIT count therefore tell more than the visibility of tents on one block.
7. San Diego, California
San Diego City and County recorded 9,905 people in CA-601. About 57.7% were unsheltered according to the HUD 2025 sheltered and unsheltered table.
Vehicle Homelessness Is Part of the Unsheltered Count
Media source: Richard Bailey on Instagram. Independent footage, not HUD-affiliated and not used to establish the count.
Residents sleeping in cars, vans and RVs remain unsheltered under HUD’s PIT definition even when they have jobs or some income.
Safe-parking programs can provide toilets, security and access to caseworkers. A vehicle still does not count as permanent housing.
8. Phoenix, Arizona
Extreme summer heat gives Phoenix a different emergency problem from New York, Boston or Chicago. The Phoenix, Mesa and Maricopa County CoC counted 9,734 people in AZ-502.
Housing Growth Has Not Removed Low-Income Pressure
Maricopa County has grown rapidly, bringing more housing construction but also more demand. Households with low or unstable incomes can still fall behind when rents rise faster than earnings.
For people already outside, heat becomes an immediate survival issue. Cooling centers and water distribution reduce danger but do not change housing status.
9. Oakland, California
Homelessness in CA-502 is spread across Oakland, Berkeley and the rest of Alameda County. HUD counted 9,262 people, and about 68.5% were unsheltered.
The Countywide Total Can Hide Very Different Local Trends
A reduction in one city can occur at the same time as an increase in another part of Alameda County. The full CoC number combines all of those local movements.
That is why a countywide decline should not automatically be described as improvement in every municipality.
10. San Francisco, California
San Francisco counted 8,671 people in CA-501. Unlike many entries above it, the CoC boundary closely follows the consolidated city and county.
Density Changes What Homelessness Looks Like
San Francisco covers a relatively small land area. People sleeping outside are concentrated in dense neighborhoods rather than spread across hundreds or thousands of square miles.
That makes street homelessness highly visible even when another CoC has a larger unsheltered population in absolute numbers.
11. Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas and Clark County counted 7,741 people in NV-500.
The service area includes the Strip, downtown Las Vegas and surrounding communities, so the total is much wider than the tourist core.
Tourism Jobs Can Be Vulnerable to Income Shocks
Hospitality supports a large share of local employment. Irregular schedules, reduced hours or job losses can leave households exposed when rent consumes most of their monthly income.
Desert weather adds a second problem for people already outside, with dangerous summer heat and cold winter nights.
12. Santa Ana and Anaheim, California
Orange County’s CA-602 CoC counted 7,710 people.
Santa Ana and Anaheim are used as the main urban reference points, but the number covers the entire Orange County homelessness system.
Affluent Communities and Housing Insecurity Exist Side by Side
Orange County contains wealthy coastal communities, tourism centers and lower-income inland neighborhoods. Local rent burdens therefore vary sharply inside the same CoC.
Shelter access and enforcement practices also differ by municipality, which means the countywide number can conceal major local differences.
13. Chicago, Illinois
Chicago recorded the most dramatic year-over-year change among the cities near the top. IL-510 fell from 18,836 people in 2024 to 7,452 in 2025, a 60% decline.
The drop did not mean 11,384 people simply found permanent housing. The Chicago PIT analysis identifies the reduced number of newly arrived migrants using temporary city shelters as the largest driver, alongside housing placements and lower new-arrival shelter demand.
Chicago Explains Part of the National Decline
The national PIT count fell by 25,828 people between 2024 and 2025. Chicago alone recorded a decline of 11,384.
That example shows why the national 3.3% decrease should not be read as an even improvement across the country. A few large CoCs can shift the national total significantly.
14. Sacramento, California
Sacramento City and County counted 6,995 people in CA-503. About 56.4% were unsheltered.
The homelessness system extends far outside downtown Sacramento, including suburban areas, river corridors, vehicles and dispersed outdoor locations.
Visibility Can Shift Without the Total Changing
People moved from a downtown encampment may appear later in another neighborhood, a shelter or a different outdoor location.
The useful outcome is therefore not fewer tents in one place. It is fewer people remaining without permanent housing.
15. Boston, Massachusetts
Boston counted 5,540 people in MA-500, but only about 2.4% were unsheltered. HUD data put the sheltered share at 97.6%, the highest among the major-city CoCs compared here.
Video source: WCVB Channel 5, May 29, 2026. The report covers older adults staying at Boston’s Pine Street Inn.
Boston Shows What a High Sheltered Share Looks Like
A person sleeping in an emergency facility is safer from cold weather and street exposure, but HUD still counts that person as homeless.
Families and older adults can remain in temporary accommodation for long periods when they cannot find a rental they can afford.
16. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia recorded 5,516 people in PA-500.
Street homelessness is only one part of that figure. Emergency shelter, safe-haven and transitional-housing residents also count toward the federal total.
Lower Rent Than New York Does Not Mean Low Housing Risk
Philadelphia housing is less expensive than several coastal markets above it, but very low-income residents can still face severe rent burdens and eviction.
Affordable units at the bottom of the market are limited, especially for households relying on disability income or other fixed benefits.
17. Washington, D.C.
Washington counted 5,138 people in DC-500.
The total is lower than Philadelphia or Boston, but D.C. has a much smaller resident population. Its homelessness rate per 10,000 residents therefore tells a different story from its place in the raw-total ranking.
Total Count and Rate Answer Different Questions
The total helps estimate the scale of shelters, outreach and housing placements required. A per-capita rate shows how common homelessness is relative to the local population.
Neither measure should be substituted for the other.
18. Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu City and County recorded 4,920 people in HI-501.
Island Geography Narrows the Housing Alternatives
Limited land, high construction costs and expensive imported materials constrain housing supply.
A household priced out in Honolulu also cannot move to a neighboring inland county with cheaper housing. Geographic isolation raises the cost of relocation and construction at the same time.
19. Fresno, California
About 62% of the 4,905 people counted in CA-514 were unsheltered.
The CoC spans Fresno and Madera counties, combining an urban center with large agricultural and less densely populated areas.
Lower Rent Does Not Cancel Lower Wages
Housing costs are lower than in San Francisco or San Jose, but local wages are also lower. Seasonal employment and unstable hours can leave little room for a rent increase or financial emergency.
Media source: HUD Secretary Scott Turner’s Instagram account.
20. Stockton, California
Stockton and San Joaquin County recorded 4,760 people in CA-511.
A Spread-Out County Produces Less Visible Homelessness
Residents can be found in vehicles, waterways, industrial areas, shelters and dispersed outdoor locations.
A large service area therefore does not produce the same street concentration seen in a compact central city.
21. Long Island, New York
Nassau and Suffolk counties counted 4,540 people in NY-603.
Suburban Homelessness Looks Different
Families may enter public shelter, motel placements or other temporary accommodation after eviction, domestic violence or income loss.
People staying temporarily with relatives because they lost housing usually do not appear in the main HUD PIT definition, which means the visible federal total does not capture every form of housing instability.
22. San Bernardino, California
San Bernardino City and County recorded 4,320 people in CA-609.
Geography Creates a Counting Problem
San Bernardino County stretches from dense urban communities into remote desert areas. Teams conducting a one-night survey cannot cover every concealed campsite, vehicle or isolated structure with equal certainty.
HUD itself cautions that differences in local methodology can affect the reliability and consistency of CoC counts.
23. Riverside, California
Riverside City and County counted 4,229 people in CA-608.
The region has absorbed residents moving inland from more expensive coastal housing markets, but rapid population growth has also raised demand for lower-cost homes.
Distance Can Become a Service Barrier
People outside the main urban centers may need to travel long distances for shelter, healthcare, benefits appointments and housing services.
That geographic spread also makes unsheltered homelessness harder to measure in one night.
24. Miami, Florida
Miami-Dade is one of the few entries in the ranking where the local agency documented a clear decline in outdoor homelessness. FL-600 counted 3,728 people, including 858 unsheltered residents.
The Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust reported a 17% year-over-year drop in unsheltered homelessness, from 1,003 to 858. About 77% of the full PIT population was sheltered.
Housing Costs Remain the Longer-Term Risk
Miami rents have risen much faster than many service-sector incomes. Hospitality, retail and other lower-paid workers can face severe housing costs even when the PIT total moves down for one year.
25. Long Beach, California
Long Beach recorded 3,595 people in CA-606, an increase of 219 from 2024.
The City of Long Beach reported that 167 people surveyed said the January 2025 wildfires had displaced them.
Long Beach Has the Highest Unsheltered Share in the Ranking
About 71.4% of the people counted in CA-606 were unsheltered, according to the HUD sheltered and unsheltered breakdown.
Long Beach is inside Los Angeles County but runs its own CoC, so those 3,595 people are not included in the Los Angeles CA-600 total.
New York and Los Angeles Present Two Different Crises
| Measure | New York City | Los Angeles City and County |
|---|---|---|
| Total homeless population | 125,683 | 67,777 |
| Sheltered share | 96.3% | 34.5% |
| Unsheltered share | 3.7% | 65.5% |
| Approximate sheltered population | 121,000 | 23,362 |
| Approximate unsheltered population | 4,700 | 44,415 |
| CoC code | NY-600 | CA-600 |
New York has far more people without permanent housing. Los Angeles has far more people living outside.
Calling one city “worse” without naming the measure hides that difference. Total homelessness, unsheltered homelessness and homelessness per resident describe separate parts of the crisis.
Urban Areas With the Highest Unsheltered Shares
| Rank | Urban CoC | CoC Code | Unsheltered Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Long Beach | CA-606 | 71.4% |
| 2 | San Jose and Santa Clara County | CA-500 | 69.8% |
| 3 | Oakland, Berkeley and Alameda County | CA-502 | 68.5% |
| 4 | Los Angeles City and County | CA-600 | 65.5% |
| 5 | Fresno and Madera Counties | CA-514 | 62.0% |
| 6 | San Diego City and County | CA-601 | 57.7% |
| 7 | Sacramento City and County | CA-503 | 56.4% |
The percentages are calculated from HUD’s 2025 sheltered and unsheltered CoC totals.
California Holds Every Place in the Top Seven
Housing costs are one part of that pattern. Shelter capacity also changes the sheltered versus unsheltered split.
Mild winters do not cause homelessness, but they affect survival outside. Someone sleeping outdoors in Los Angeles or Long Beach faces different winter conditions from someone in Boston or New York.
Urban Areas With the Highest Sheltered Shares
| Urban CoC | CoC Code | Sheltered Share | Unsheltered Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boston | MA-500 | 97.6% | 2.4% |
| New York City | NY-600 | 96.3% | 3.7% |
| Milwaukee City and County | WI-501 | 94.6% | 5.4% |
| Memphis and Shelby County | TN-501 | 93.3% | 6.7% |
| Baltimore | MD-501 | 90.7% | 9.3% |
All percentages come from HUD’s 2025 CoC sheltered and unsheltered totals rather than a secondary ranking.
Shelter Changes Exposure, Not Housing Status
A shelter bed protects someone from weather and street violence and gives access to sanitation and services. HUD still counts the person as homeless until the person moves into permanent housing.
How the 25 Areas Are Distributed Across the Country
| Region | Number of Ranked Areas | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| West | 18 | Los Angeles, Seattle, Denver, San Jose, Portland and Phoenix |
| Northeast | 4 | New York, Boston, Philadelphia and Long Island |
| Midwest | 1 | Chicago |
| South | 2 | Washington, D.C. and Miami |
California alone accounts for 10 of the 25 entries. The West as a whole holds 18.
Part of that result is housing cost. Part is geography. Several Western CoCs cover entire counties or multi-city metropolitan areas rather than one municipal boundary.
National Homelessness Fell From 771,480 to 745,652
The 2025 PIT count recorded 745,652 people experiencing homelessness, down from 771,480 in January 2024. The drop was 25,828 people, or about 3.3%.
| National Measure | 2024 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sheltered homelessness | 497,256 | 479,332 | -3.6% |
| Unsheltered homelessness | 274,224 | 266,320 | -2.9% |
| Total homelessness | 771,480 | 745,652 | -3.3% |
The decline was real in the federal count, but it was not evenly distributed. Chicago fell by 11,384 people after temporary migrant shelter use dropped sharply. New York State’s PIT total also fell 7.9% after very large increases in 2023 and 2024.
Other CoCs moved in the opposite direction. Long Beach, for example, increased by 219. A lower national total therefore does not mean every major city improved.
Chronic Homelessness Increased to 169,467 People
HUD counted 169,467 people experiencing chronic homelessness in 2025, up 2.1% from the prior year even as the full PIT population declined.
| Chronically Homeless Population | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Sheltered | 69,780 | 41.2% |
| Unsheltered | 99,687 | 58.8% |
| Total | 169,467 | 100% |
Nearly six in ten people experiencing chronic homelessness were unsheltered.
HUD generally defines chronic homelessness around long or repeated periods of homelessness combined with a qualifying disability. A short stay in temporary shelter does not address those long-term barriers.
Older Adults Also Moved in the Wrong Direction
The National Alliance to End Homelessness analysis of the HUD release reported a 6.8% increase among adults aged 65 and older.
Fixed incomes, disability and medical costs can leave older adults with few options when rent rises. Standard congregate shelters may also be difficult for residents with mobility or health needs.
Why Housing Costs Are Central to Local Homelessness
Cities with expensive housing tend to report more homelessness, especially when low-cost units are scarce.
A Pew analysis of housing costs and homelessness found a strong relationship between rent levels and homelessness across metropolitan areas.
That relationship explains why wealthy areas such as San Jose can still have large unsheltered populations. High average income does not protect the households earning far below that average.
Eviction and Income Loss Can Turn a Tight Budget Into Housing Loss
A household already spending most of its income on rent has little room for reduced work hours, a medical bill or an unexpected expense.
After an eviction, unpaid rent, court records and damaged credit can also make the next apartment harder to obtain.
Domestic Violence Creates a Different Route Into Homelessness
Some adults and children leave housing because staying there is unsafe. A survivor may enter shelter with little savings, few documents and no time to arrange another home.
Family homelessness therefore cannot be explained only through rent or job loss.
Mental Illness and Substance Use Affect Some Individuals, but They Do Not Explain the City Ranking
Mental illness and substance use can make it harder to keep housing and engage with services. They do not explain why New York, Los Angeles or San Jose have larger totals than cities with lower housing costs.
Most people with mental illness do not become homeless. Housing prices, income, family support and access to treatment all change the risk.
What the Point-in-Time Count Includes
HUD requires CoCs to estimate homelessness on one night during the final 10 days of January. The 2025 national dataset used here is based on January 2025 counts.
Sheltered Homelessness
The sheltered PIT count includes people staying in:
- emergency shelters
- safe-haven programs
- transitional housing
- qualifying hotel or motel rooms paid for by a public agency or nonprofit organization
Unsheltered Homelessness
The unsheltered count includes people sleeping in:
- streets and sidewalks
- parks
- tents and encampments
- cars, vans and recreational vehicles
- abandoned buildings
- transit stations
- other places not intended for regular sleeping
What the Federal Count Can Miss
The PIT count is useful because every CoC follows a federal framework, but it is still a one-night estimate rather than a census of everyone who lacks stable housing during the year.
People Staying With Friends or Relatives
HUD generally does not count someone who is temporarily staying with another household because that person has nowhere else to live.
Schools use a wider homelessness definition for students, including many doubled-up households. Education data and HUD data therefore measure different populations.
Youth Can Be Especially Difficult to Find
Young people may stay temporarily with friends, move between homes or avoid adult shelter systems. A one-night street and shelter survey can miss those arrangements.
Vehicle Residents May Move During the Survey
People sleeping in cars and RVs count as unsheltered, but they may move regularly to avoid parking restrictions or complaints.
That makes a complete vehicle count difficult, especially across large counties.
Unsheltered Areas Are Not Covered Equally
Teams can miss people sleeping in woods, abandoned structures, industrial areas, private property or remote parts of a county.
HUD’s own CoC reports warn that differences in local counting methods can affect reliability.
One Night Cannot Capture a Full Year
A person who becomes homeless in February does not appear in a January PIT count. Someone who moved into housing a few days before count night also disappears from the total.
Chicago provides a useful example. A separate coalition estimate found 58,625 people experienced homelessness at some point during 2024 when doubled-up households and full-year service data were included, far above the one-night PIT figure.
Total Homeless Population and Homelessness Rate Answer Different Questions
| Measure | Calculation | What It Shows |
|---|---|---|
| Total homeless population | Sheltered plus unsheltered people | The absolute scale of local homelessness |
| Homelessness rate | Homeless population divided by resident population | How common homelessness is relative to local population |
| Unsheltered share | Unsheltered population divided by total homeless population | How much homelessness occurs outside |
| Sheltered share | Sheltered population divided by total homeless population | How much of the PIT population is inside temporary programs |
New York ranks first by total homelessness, but a smaller city can rank higher when the count is expressed per 10,000 residents.
Los Angeles offers another example. It has a much smaller total than New York but a vastly larger unsheltered population.
What Can Reduce Homelessness?
Video source: Invisible People, an independent nonprofit media organization focused on homelessness. The video discusses housing-focused responses and is not part of the HUD dataset.
Preventing Housing Loss
Emergency rental assistance, eviction defense and landlord mediation work before a household loses its home.
Once an eviction is complete, rehousing can take longer and cost more because the household needs a new unit, deposit and landlord approval.
Rapid Rehousing
Rapid rehousing uses short-term rental support and housing-search assistance for households expected to take over the rent after temporary help ends.
Permanent Supportive Housing
Permanent supportive housing combines a long-term tenancy with services for people who have disabilities or long histories of homelessness.
The U.S. Government Accountability Office has examined housing and support services together in federal homelessness programs.
More Homes at the Lowest Rent Levels
A city cannot move people out of shelter if there are few available units they can afford.
New construction, vouchers, preservation of existing low-rent homes and conversion of suitable buildings all increase the number of possible placements.
Emergency Shelter Still Has a Role
Shelter does not end homelessness, but it keeps people out of dangerous weather and connects them with sanitation, healthcare and caseworkers.
Rules around couples, pets, possessions, disability access and work schedules can determine who can actually use an available bed.
Methodology
The ranking uses the 2025 Point-in-Time estimates published by HUD in May 2026. The underlying PIT survey took place during January 2025.
We ranked major-city, urban and suburban CoCs by total homelessness, combining sheltered and unsheltered populations. Rural CoCs were excluded because many cover very large multi-county territories and do not fit a city-based ranking.
The city name in each row is the main urban center, not necessarily the exact geographic boundary of the count. The table therefore includes the official CoC area and CoC code beside every total.
Sheltered and unsheltered percentages were calculated from HUD’s 2025 CoC population data and rounded to one decimal place. Approximate population figures derived from those shares may differ slightly because of rounding.
Local sources such as LAHSA, Miami-Dade County and Long Beach were used when they published revised totals or local explanations. The federal HUD dataset remains the common basis of the ranking.
HUD states that it conducts a limited data-quality review but does not independently verify every local submission. Changes in count methods, survey coverage, shelter inventories or local conditions can therefore affect year-to-year comparisons.
What the Count Actually Tells Us
New York and Los Angeles dominate the ranking, but they represent very different forms of homelessness. New York counted almost twice as many people overall, yet almost all were indoors. Los Angeles had more than 44,000 people outside.
Seattle is a distant third. Denver, San Jose and Portland then form a tight group separated by fewer than 250 people.
California is the strongest regional pattern. Ten of the top 25 CoCs are in the state, and all seven urban systems with the highest unsheltered shares in the comparison are in California.
The national decline from 771,480 to 745,652 is significant, but it should not be read as a uniform improvement. Chicago alone accounts for a large share of the reduction, and chronic homelessness still rose to 169,467 people.
The PIT count is best read as a standardized one-night snapshot. It shows the scale of shelter use and street homelessness in each CoC, but it does not capture every person who loses housing during the year or every household temporarily staying with someone else.
