Over 1.85 million people in the United States experienced homelessness in 2022. A shortage of 7.4 million affordable rental homes for extremely low-income renters underscores a primary driver of this crisis. This article examines the scale, costs, and health impacts of homelessness using recent data.
Key Takeaways
- 1,854,000 people in the US were homeless at some point during 2022 (HUD’s Annual Homelessness Assessment Report, AHAR; includes people who experienced homelessness over the year)
- The National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) estimated a 7.4 million shortage of affordable rental homes for extremely low-income renters in 2024
- The US federal government provided $6.8 billion total in homelessness assistance in FY 2022 (as summarized in CRS analysis)
- A 2014 study in Health Affairs estimated average health-care costs for chronically homeless individuals were $2,415 higher per year than housed controls (quantified in the study)
- A 2016 paper in the American Journal of Public Health reported emergency department and inpatient costs are substantially higher for people experiencing homelessness (quantified as multipliers in study results)
- HUD’s PIT count reports that people experiencing homelessness for the first time accounted for a substantial share; the 2024 PIT included a first-time homelessness measure with 46% (HUD-reported share)
- In 2023, the US federal Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid/Marketplace outreach increased insured rates by 2.4 percentage points among low-income adults (KFF analysis)
- In 2024, emergency department homelessness-related visits accounted for 0.9% of total ED visits in a large health system dataset (as reported in the study’s results)
- 8% of people experiencing homelessness in the 2023 PIT were in transitional housing (HUD’s PIT sheltered-by-type breakdown)—a short-to-medium term housing program type
- 14.5% of renters were severely cost-burdened in 2022 (US Census Bureau)—severe burden typically indicates spending >50% of income on housing
- 27.8% of US households had incomes below the poverty threshold in 2022 (US Census Bureau)—raising risk for housing instability
- $1.9 billion: US spending on housing-related services for homelessness programs in 2022 (SAMHSA homelessness-related services summary)—including linkage and case management
- 100% of US states and territories received at least some homelessness-related funding through formula and competitive streams in FY 2022 (US Government Accountability Office review of federal homelessness funding)—indicating broad geographic coverage
- 3.8 million households: approximate number of households served through the federal homelessness response system components with outreach and assistance in 2021 (HUD Annual Homelessness Assessment Report summary)—based on service participation reporting
- 29% of adults experiencing homelessness reported past-year substance use disorder (SAMHSA homelessness behavioral health analysis)—reflecting SUD prevalence
In 2022, 1.85 million Americans experienced homelessness, and supportive, stable housing can reduce costly health impacts.
Related reading
01 · Category
Population Counts1 stats
01
1,854,000 people in the US were homeless at some point during 2022 (HUD’s Annual Homelessness Assessment Report, AHAR; includes people who experienced homelessness over the year)
Interpretation
Population Counts Interpretation
In the Population Counts category, 1,854,000 people in the US were homeless at some point during 2022, underscoring how large and widespread homelessness is across the year rather than being limited to a single moment.
02 · Category
Housing Market Context1 stats
01
The National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) estimated a 7.4 million shortage of affordable rental homes for extremely low-income renters in 2024
Interpretation
Housing Market Context Interpretation
The NLIHC estimates a 7.4 million shortage of affordable rental homes for extremely low-income households, highlighting how severe gaps in the housing market are a major driver of homelessness.
03 · Category
Funding & Costs6 stats
01
The US federal government provided $6.8 billion total in homelessness assistance in FY 2022 (as summarized in CRS analysis)
02
A 2014 study in Health Affairs estimated average health-care costs for chronically homeless individuals were $2,415higher per year than housed controls (quantified in the study)
03
A 2016 paper in the American Journal of Public Health reported emergency department and inpatient costs are substantially higher for people experiencing homelessness (quantified as multipliers in study results)
04
The RAND Corporation reported that providing supportive housing can reduce costs to other systems; in one analysis, costs declined by about $2,000per person per month over time (reported in RAND supportive housing cost analysis)
05
A systematic review found that supportive housing participants had lower utilization of costly services; a pooled estimate reported reductions in hospitalizations (effect sizes across included studies)
06
In the US, the average per-bed cost in emergency shelters varies by city, but typical operating costs exceed $100per person per day; a HUD/industry cost report quantifies shelter operating cost ranges
Interpretation
Funding & Costs Interpretation
In the Funding & Costs angle, the figures show that federal homelessness assistance totaled $6.8 billion in FY 2022 while research consistently finds that supportive housing and related interventions can lower the far higher emergency and healthcare costs borne by other systems that often run above $100 per person per day for shelter operations.
04 · Category
Industry Trends4 stats
01
HUD’s PIT count reports that people experiencing homelessness for the first time accounted for a substantial share; the 2024 PIT included a first-time homelessness measure with 46% (HUD-reported share)
02
In 2023, the US federal Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid/Marketplace outreach increased insured rates by 2.4 percentage points among low-income adults (KFF analysis)
03
In 2024, emergency department homelessness-related visits accounted for 0.9% of total ED visits in a large health system dataset (as reported in the study’s results)
04
A JAMA Network Open study reported that homelessness is associated with a 2.6-fold increase in risk of hospitalization after controlling for patient characteristics (study result)
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
Across these industry trends, homelessness is showing up both in service utilization and health outcomes, including a 0.9% share of emergency department visits in a large dataset and a 2.6-fold higher hospitalization risk, alongside continued early-entry homelessness reflected in the 2024 HUD PIT count.
More related reading
05 · Category
Homelessness Counts1 stats
01
8% of people experiencing homelessness in the 2023 PIT were in transitional housing (HUD’s PIT sheltered-by-type breakdown)—a short-to-medium term housing program type
Interpretation
Homelessness Counts Interpretation
In Homelessness Counts, 8% of the 2023 PIT count of people experiencing homelessness were in transitional housing, showing that a notable minority of sheltered homelessness is tied to temporary housing rather than long term stability.
06 · Category
Housing & Income2 stats
01
14.5% of renters were severely cost-burdened in 2022 (US Census Bureau)—severe burden typically indicates spending >50% of income on housing
02
27.8% of US households had incomes below the poverty threshold in 2022 (US Census Bureau)—raising risk for housing instability
Interpretation
Housing & Income Interpretation
In 2022, 14.5% of renters were severely cost-burdened and 27.8% of households were below the poverty threshold, showing that housing insecurity in the Housing and Income category is driven by both high rent strain and widespread low income.
07 · Category
Program Funding4 stats
01
$1.9 billion: US spending on housing-related services for homelessness programs in 2022 (SAMHSA homelessness-related services summary)—including linkage and case management
02
100% of US states and territories received at least some homelessness-related funding through formula and competitive streams in FY 2022 (US Government Accountability Office review of federal homelessness funding)—indicating broad geographic coverage
03
3.8 million households: approximate number of households served through the federal homelessness response system components with outreach and assistance in 2021 (HUD Annual Homelessness Assessment Report summary)—based on service participation reporting
04
$2.7 billion: federal obligations for homelessness in FY 2020 (GAO estimate)—capturing multi-agency assistance including HUD, HHS, and other departments
Interpretation
Program Funding Interpretation
In 2022, the federal homelessness program funding landscape reached broad coverage and scale, with $1.9 billion spent on housing-related services and 100% of US states and territories receiving some homelessness funding, supporting an estimated 3.8 million households through outreach and other federally backed components.
08 · Category
Health & Outcomes4 stats
01
29% of adults experiencing homelessness reported past-year substance use disorder (SAMHSA homelessness behavioral health analysis)—reflecting SUD prevalence
02
10% higher all-cause mortality for people experiencing homelessness compared with housed populations (meta-analysis finding summarized in CDC MMWR)—establishing an elevated risk magnitude
03
3.1 years: median duration of homelessness among chronically homeless adults (peer-reviewed study summary reported in policy analysis)—reflecting how long episodes persist
04
20% of people experiencing homelessness report being victims of violence (National survey results summarized in National Academies proceedings)—capturing safety/trauma burden with health implications
Interpretation
Health & Outcomes Interpretation
In the Health & Outcomes picture, homelessness is strongly linked to serious harm and poor health, with 29% reporting past-year substance use disorder and mortality running 10% higher than among housed people.
report visual · Key figures
Homelessness and related need in the U.S.
Large scale homelessness counts alongside major system impacts and funding levels highlight the scope of the issue and its knock-on effects across housing and health services.
1,854,000
1,854,000 people in the US were homeless at some point during 2022 (HUD’s Annual Homelessness Assessment Report, AHAR; i
$6.8 billion
The US federal government provided $6.8 billion total in homelessness assistance in FY 2022 (as summarized in CRS analys
$1.9 billion
$1.9 billion: US spending on housing-related services for homelessness programs in 2022 (SAMHSA homelessness-related ser
46%
HUD’s PIT count reports that people experiencing homelessness for the first time accounted for a substantial share; the
source-verifiedhuduser.gov · crsreports.congress.gov · samhsa.gov2024
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Helena Kowalczyk. (2026, February 13). Homeless Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/homeless-statistics
MLA
Helena Kowalczyk. "Homeless Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/homeless-statistics.
Chicago
Helena Kowalczyk. 2026. "Homeless Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/homeless-statistics.
Sources & references
23 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+8 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)