U.S. News and World Report has released its latest list of the cities with the largest homeless populations in the country.
According to the report, nearly all populations in the country experienced record levels of homelessness last year, with the number of people experiencing chronic patterns of homelessness reaching 152,000 — the highest level since data was first collected in 2007.
Recommended Videos
“As in previous years, the country’s major cities had the largest proportion of people experiencing homelessness in 2024 at 54%, compared with 24% who were counted in suburban areas and 16% who were living in largely rural areas,” the study reads.
In fact, the top five cities on the list combined — New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Seattle and Denver — were home to more than one-third of all people in the nation last year who experienced homelessness.
[EXCLUSIVE: Become a News 6 Insider (it’s FREE) | PINIT! Share your photos]
The top city on the list is New York City, with a homeless population of over 140,000 people — a nearly 60% jump from 2023. Eight of the other cities on the list are in California, and four cities are located in Texas.
However, only one city is situated in the Sunshine State: Miami at No. 19. The Magic City had an estimated homeless population of 3,800 last year, which was a slight rise from 2023.
Last year, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis took aim at the issue of homelessness in the state, signing a law that bans people from sleeping on public property unless local governments allow it.
At the time, DeSantis signed the legislation in Miami Beach, speaking alongside the mayor and other lawmakers. But during a news conference, he also fired shots at California, mentioning the multitudes of homeless encampments in Los Angeles.
“The number of families who would say that they had to leave some of these areas because you’d have drug use just rampant in public,” he said. “You’d have homeless overwhelming on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, just a massive encampment that shows up. That’s not the way you can have strong communities.”
While it remains to be seen whether the law will cut down on overall homelessness in the state, the issue is still very much alive in Central Florida.
Meanwhile, the rest of the ranking is as follows:
| Rank | City | Homeless Population | % Change 2023-2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York City, NY | 140,134 | 59.2% (Increase) |
| 2 | Los Angeles, CA | 71,201 | 0.2% (Decrease) |
| 3 | Chicago, IL | 18,836 | 207% (Increase) |
| 4 | Seattle, WA | 16,868 | 19.2% (Increase) |
| 5 | Denver, CO | 14,281 | 42% (Increase) |
| 6 | San Diego, CA | 10,605 | 3.3% (Increase) |
| 7 | San Jose, CA | 10,394 | N/A |
| 8 | Oakland, CA | 9,450 | N/A |
| 9 | Phoenix, AZ | 9,435 | 2.2% (Decrease) |
| 10 | San Francisco, CA | 8,323 | N/A |
| 11 | Las Vegas, NV | 7,906 | 20.4% (Increase) |
| 12 | Portland, OR | 7,384 | N/A |
| 13 | Sacramento, CA | 6,615 | N/A |
| 14 | Boston, MA | 5,898 | 13.4% (Increase) |
| 15 | Washington, DC | 5,616 | 14.1% (Increase) |
| 16 | Philadelphia, PA | 5,191 | 9.9% (Increase) |
| 17 | Fresno, CA | 4,305 | N/A |
| 18 | Minneapolis, MN | 3,866 | 16.7% |
| 19 | Miami, FL | 3,800 | 3.9% (Increase) |
| 20 | Dallas, TX | 3,718 | 12.4% (Decrease) |
| 21 | San Antonio, TX | 3,398 | 7.7% (Increase) |
| 22 | Long Beach, CA | 3,376 | 2.1% (Decrease) |
| 23 | Houston, TX | 3,280 | 0.3% (Increase) |
| 24 | Austin, TX | 2,975 | N/A |
| 25 | Atlanta, GA | 2,867 | 7% (Increase) |