US Homelessness Hits Highest Level Since 2007, California Leads in Street Homelessness

California accounts for 49% of all people living on the streets in the US, with a significant increase in unsheltered youth.

California leads the nation in homelessness, with 123,432 people living on the streets, accounting for 49% of all people living on the streets in the US.
The state also reported the largest number of unaccompanied youth living on the streets, with nearly 7,000 youth making up roughly half of all US youth living outside.
The five major US metro areas with the highest rates of unsheltered people were all in California: the San Jose region, Los Angeles, the Oakland region, Long Beach, and Sacramento.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) report showed a roughly 6% increase in California’s total unhoused population from the prior year.
Nationwide, homelessness increased by 12% from 2022, reaching the highest level since 2007 with over 653,100 people experiencing homelessness on a single night in January 2023.