On a single night in 2022, 582,462 people experienced homelessness in the United States, and numbers are on the rise. Since 2017, there has been a 6% increase in homelessness.
About six in 10 of the people experiencing homelessness in 2022 had access to emergency shelters, transitional housing programs, or safe havens, while the remainder were unsheltered. Rates of unsheltered homelessness — which includes those sleeping on the streets, in abandoned buildings, and in wooded areas — are also on the rise.
According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, there were an estimated 15,507 people experiencing homelessness on a single night in Massachusetts in 2022. Adjusting for population, this comes out to about 22.2 people for every 10,000 state residents, the 11th most among the 50 states.
Of those experiencing homelessness in Massachusetts, a reported 7.3% were unsheltered, the fifth lowest share among states.
All data in this story is from the 2022 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report to Congress from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
RankStateHomeless population per 10,000 state residents, 2022Total residents experiencing homelessness, 2022Homeless population without shelter, 2022 (%)1California43.7171,52167.32Vermont43.12,78098.43Oregon42.317,95961.74Hawaii41.45,96762.75New York37.474,1785.46Washington32.625,21150.27Maine32.14,4113.78Alaska31.72,32015.49Nevada24.27,61846.810Delaware23.62,3696.511Massachusetts22.215,5077.312Arizona18.613,55340.813Colorado17.910,39769.614Louisiana15.97,37316.815South Dakota15.51,38924.616Tennessee15.110,5675817Montana14.41,58518.518Rhode Island14.41,57715.719Minnesota13.97,91722.320New Mexico12.12,56021.621Florida11.925,95945.222New Hampshire11.61,60520.623Nebraska11.42,2469.624Wyoming11.264890.125Utah10.73,55724.526Idaho10.51,99844.427Georgia9.910,68948.228Pennsylvania9.812,69112.729Missouri9.75,99273.330New Jersey9.48,75288.831Oklahoma9.43,75435.132Ohio9.010,65481.733North Carolina8.99,38238.634Kentucky8.83,98427.235Maryland8.75,34983.336Texas8.324,43244.937Kansas8.22,39729.138Michigan8.28,2061139Arkansas8.12,45952.740Connecticut8.12,9301041Wisconsin8.14,7756.342Indiana8.05,44914.743North Dakota7.961013.644West Virginia7.71,3752945Iowa7.62,41983.246Virginia7.66,52910.547Alabama7.43,75242.148Illinois7.39,21220.649South Carolina7.03,60865.850Mississippi4.11,19663.6
