Just the Facts

Statistics About Homelessness and Related Subjects

The number of people in the U.S. who were in poverty in 2005:
38,231,521

The percentage of those people who were children:
36%

The estimated number of people in the U.S. who are homeless for any period of time in a given year:
3.5 million

The number of people who were homeless in a night in October 1996:
444,000

The number of people who were homeless in a night in February 1996:
842,000

Percentage of homeless that have been homeless for less than two years:
70%

Percentage of homeless that have been homeless for less than six months:
40%

Percentage of homeless that live in vehicles:
59.2%

That live in makeshift housing (tents, cardboard boxes, etc):
24.6%

Percentage of homeless that live in the same city in which they became homeless:
75%

Percentage of homeless people that are employed:
13%

Estimated percentage of homeless diagnosed with a mental illness:
16-22%

Percentage of the overall U.S. population diagnosed with a mental illness sometime in their lives:
40%

Estimated percentage of homeless that are substance abusers:
26-40%

Percentage of homeless men that are veterans:
40%

Percentage of U.S. cities whose estimated homeless population is much greater than number of beds in emergency shelters:
100%

Percentage of homeless who are single men:
51%

Families with children:
30%

Single women:
17%

Likelihood to have a personal or property crime committed by a homeless person than by a housed person:
10% less likely

Percentage of homeless people that receive Social Security or General Assistance (food stamps):
20%

Percentage of homeless that report having no health insurance:
55%

Percentage of the general U.S. population that reports having no health insurance:
16%

Average amount a homeless person receives in income a month:
300 dollars

Resources: The National Coalition for the Homeless; National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, Homelessness in the United States, Wikipedia.