US Homelessness in 2024 Up 18 Percent From Previous Year, HUD Reports

Federal officials blamed the increase on the lack of affordable housing, devastating natural disasters, and the surge in illegal immigration.

A tent encampment in San Diego on July 31, 2023. Mike Blake/Reuters

The nation’s homeless population grew by 18.1 percent from 2023 to 2024, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced on Dec. 27.

HUD determined that more than 770,000 people were counted as homeless in a federally required survey taken across the country in January called the Annual Homelessness Assessment Report. This number does not include those who don’t have a home of their own but are able to stay with family or friends.