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How many homeless people are in California?
In this article, you’ll learn about:
Let’s dig in.
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There are 161,972 homeless people in California.
California’s homeless rate is 415 homeless people per 100,000 people.
California’s population at the end of last year was 39,029,342.
The data that we have is:
39,029,342 total people x (415 homeless people / 100,000 total people) = 415 homeless people in California.
Let’s look at some California homelessness statistics.
California’s homeless rate is 415 homeless people per 100,000 people.
0.42% of people are homeless in California.
There are 161,972 homeless people in California and 39,029,342 total people.
161,972 / 39,029,342 = 0.0042 x 100 = 0.42% people that are homeless in California.
| City | Population | Homeless Population | % Homeless People |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 3,822,238 | 69,144 | 1.81% |
| San Diego | 1,381,162 | 10,264 | 0.74% |
| San Jose | 971,233 | 6,340 | 0.65% |
| San Francisco | 808,437 | 7,754 | 0.96% |
| Fresno | 545,567 | 4,216 | 0.77% |
| Sacramento | 528,001 | 9,278 | 1.76% |
| Long Beach | 451,307 | 3,447 | 0.76% |
| Oakland | 430,553 | 3,337 | 0.78% |
| Bakersfield | 410,647 | 1,948 | 0.47% |
| Anaheim | 344,461 | 1,054 | 0.31% |
This problem varies across cities, with some cities more affected than others.
Los Angeles stands out as the city with the highest homeless population in California.
It has a homeless population of 69,144.
This number represents 1.81% of the city’s total population of 3,822,238.
No other city in the state matches this number.
San Diego is the second city on the list. It has a significant total population of 1,381,162.
But its homeless population is considerably lower than Los Angeles, at 10,264.
This figure is just 0.74% of San Diego’s population.
San Jose, another large city, has a homeless population of 6,340.
This number equates to 0.65% of its total population of 971,233.
Meanwhile, San Francisco, though smaller in population than San Jose, has more homeless people.
It has a homeless population of 7,754, which is 0.96% of its population of 808,437.
There are other cities with high homeless populations.
Fresno, for example, has 4,216 homeless people, which is 0.77% of its total population.
Sacramento has an even higher percentage of homeless people.
Its homeless population of 9,278 is 1.76% of its total population of 528,001.
Long Beach and Oakland also have homeless populations.
Both cities have similar rates at 0.76% and 0.78% respectively.
Bakersfield and Anaheim, on the other hand, have the lowest homeless populations among the listed cities.
They stand at 0.47% and 0.31% respectively.
To sum it up, Los Angeles and Sacramento have the highest homeless populations in California.
This is both in terms of the total number and as a percentage of the total population.
This highlights the need for action, particularly in Los Angeles, which is the homeless city in California.
| Year | Homeless Population By Year | Population By Year | Homeless Rate By Year | % Homeless People By Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 161,972 | 39,029,342 | 415 | 0.42% |
| 2019 | 151,278 | 39,437,610 | 384 | 0.38% |
| 2018 | 129,972 | 39,437,463 | 330 | 0.33% |
| 2017 | 131,532 | 39,337,785 | 334 | 0.33% |
| 2016 | 118,142 | 39,149,186 | 302 | 0.30% |
| 2015 | 115,738 | 38,904,296 | 297 | 0.30% |
| 2014 | 113,952 | 38,586,706 | 295 | 0.30% |
| 2013 | 118,552 | 38,253,768 | 310 | 0.31% |
| 2012 | 120,098 | 37,944,551 | 317 | 0.32% |
| 2011 | 125,128 | 37,636,311 | 332 | 0.33% |
| 2010 | 123,480 | 37,319,550 | 331 | 0.33% |
| 2009 | 123,678 | 36,961,229 | 335 | 0.33% |
| 2008 | 136,531 | 36,604,337 | 373 | 0.37% |
| 2007 | 138,986 | 36,250,311 | 383 | 0.38% |
The California homeless population by year data from 2007 to 2020 shows an overall rise in homelessness.
Let’s break it down year by year:
In 2007, California had 138,986 homeless people.
This was 0.38% of the total population.
The homeless rate that year was 383 for every 100,000 people.
By 2009, the homeless count fell to 123,678.
But in the following years, the numbers started to climb.
By 2011, the homeless population reached 125,128, or 0.33% of the total population.
California’s homelessness rate was 332 per 100,000 people.
There was a slight drop in 2012. But in 2013, the California homeless population by year rose again to 118,552.
This accounted for about 0.31% of the total population.
The homeless rate by year was 310 per 100,000 people.
From 2014 to 2016, the number of homeless individuals stayed relatively stable.
It ranged from 115,000 to 118,000 each year, about 0.30% of the total population.
In 2017, the homeless population rose slightly to 131,532.
This represented 0.33% of the total population.
The homeless rate that year was 334 per 100,000 people.
In 2018, the homeless population declined slightly to 129,972.
But in 2019, it spiked to 151,278.
California’s homeless rate also increased to 384 per 100,000 people.
In 2020, the California homeless population reached its highest point in 13 years.
It was at 161,972, or 0.42% of the total population.
The homeless rate was 415 per 100,000 individuals.
The data shows a clear upward trend in California’s homeless population from 2007 to 2020.
California has the highest homeless population at 161,972 homeless people.
The top 5 states with the most homelessness are:
| State | Population | Homeless Population | % Homeless People | Homeless per 100k |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 39,029,342 | 161,972 | 0.42% | 415 |
| New York | 8,804,190 | 41,204 | 0.47% | 468 |
| Florida | 18,801,310 | 22,750 | 0.12% | 121 |
| Texas | 30,029,572 | 26,726 | 0.09% | 89 |
| Washington | 7,864,400 | 23,043 | 0.29% | 293 |
The data provided reveals California as the state with the most homeless people in the United States.
It has a total homeless population of 161,972.
This figure represents about 0.42% of the state’s total population of over 39 million.
However, analyzing the rate of homelessness by state provides a slightly different perspective.
California’s homelessness rate is 415 per 100,000 people.
This rate, surprisingly, is less than New York’s.
New York has a rate of 468 homeless individuals per 100,000, despite having a much smaller total homeless population of 41,204.
The state of Florida, in comparison, has a lower homeless population.
There are 22,750 homeless people in Florida.
This represents a mere 0.12% of the state’s total population.
Moreover, Florida’s rate of homelessness per 100,000 people is just 121, far less than California or New York.
In Texas, the homeless population is 26,726.
This accounts for only about 0.09% of the state’s total population.
It’s the smallest proportion among the five states listed here.
With 89 homeless individuals per 100,000 people, Texas also records the lowest homelessness rate among these states.
Washington state falls in the middle.
It has a total homeless population of 23,043, or 0.29% of the state’s total population.
Washington’s homelessness rate per 100,000 people is 293.
This places it between the higher rates of New York and California and the lower rates of Florida and Texas.
In conclusion, California has the most homeless people in sheer numbers.
However, New York has the highest rate of homelessness per 100,000 people.
Florida and Texas record lower rates of homelessness, both in terms of the total population and per 100,000 people.
Next, let’s talk about why California have so many homeless people.
There are several reasons why there are so many homeless people in California:
Solving the homeless crisis in California requires a comprehensive approach.
Here are several strategies to solve California’s homeless crisis:
These are other questions we found when we were researching the data for California’s homeless crisis.
Homelessness in California is a severe problem.
The state has the highest number of homeless individuals in the U.S.
From 2007 to 2020, California’s homeless population increased significantly.
By 2020, about 0.42% of California’s population, or 161,972 people, were homeless.
The high cost of living and lack of affordable housing contribute to this issue.
Despite efforts to tackle the problem, the state continues to struggle.
Homelessness in California is not just a statistic; it’s a human crisis that needs urgent attention and solutions.
California has spent $17.5 billion on homelessness in the past 4 years.
That’s $4.375 billion per year that California is spending on homelessness.
At the same time, there has been an increase of 30,440 homeless people in Cali.
So, we’ve spent $17.5 billion, and homelessness has increased by 23.1% in the same time period.
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