Nationwide 2017 Homeless Count Numbers Broken Down by Region in U.S.

-The Increase in the Pacific States is Significant-
-California is Particularly Noteworthy- 

The U. S. Census Bureau defines four statistical regions in the United States and divides them into nine divisions as outlined in the tables below. Nearly one-third (32.5%) of all the persons who were counted as homeless during the nation-wide 2017 homeless count last January, were counted in Region 4: West; Division 9, which included the states of Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington. 

The following table shows a comparison of the nation-wide 2017 homeless count with the 2016 homeless count for Region 4: West; Division 9, which had a significant increase (10.1%) when compared to all other regional divisions that either had decreases or a slight increase of approximately 1% as noted in the tables below. 

Homeless count numbers were gathered from the Continuum of Care (CoC) Homeless Assistance Programs Homeless Populations and Subpopulations Reports provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. 

States highlighted in bold are those that experienced an increase between 2016 and 2017. 

Table 1. Comparison of the total number of persons counted as homeless in 2016 and 2017 in Region 4: West; Division 9: Pacific (Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington).

 Tables 2 – 9 provide a comparison of the total number of persons counted as homeless in 2016 and 2017 for each of the other regional divisions. 

Table 2. Comparison of the total number of persons counted as homeless in 2016 and 2017 in Region 1: Northeast; Division 1: New England (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont). 

 Table 3. Comparison of the total number of persons counted as homeless in 2016 and 2017 in Region 1: Northeast; Division 2: Mid-Atlantic (New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania). 

 Table 4. Comparison of the total number of persons counted as homeless in 2016 and 2017 in Region 2: Midwest; Division 3: East North Central (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin). 

 Table 5. Comparison of the total number of persons counted as homeless in 2016 and 2017 in Region 2: Midwest; Division 4: West North Central (Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota). 

 Table 6. Comparison of the total number of persons counted as homeless in 2016 and 2017 in Region 3: South; Division 5: South Atlantic (Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, District of Columbia, and West Virginia). 

 Table 7. Comparison of the total number of persons counted as homeless in 2016 and 2017 in Region 3: South; Division 6: East South Central (Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee). 

 Table 8. Comparison of the total number of persons counted as homeless in 2016 and 2017 in Region 3: South; Division 7: West South Central (Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas). 

 Table 9. Comparison of the total number of persons counted as homeless in 2016 and 2017 in Region 4: West; Division 8: Mountain (Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming). 

 Upcoming briefs will focus more closely on California by comparing the state to all other states for when California is momentarily removed from the 2016 and 2017 homeless count results, the rest of the country collectively experienced a similar annual decrease in 2017 as during the other years of this decade. 

A closer look is important because not all jurisdictions within California contributed to the increase. 

A closer look is also important because of all the recent legislation that may have contributed to an increase in homelessness, including the recent passing of legislation and ballot initiatives that focused on re-sentencing and early release from correctional institutions.

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For more information regarding the results of the 2017 homeless count and next steps, see

• 2017 Point-in-Time Estimates Show Significant Geographical Variations in Our Progress Toward Ending Homelessness, Matthew Doherty, Executive Director, United States Interagency Council on Homeless; 

• 2017 AHAR: Part 1 – PIT Estimates of Homelessness in the U.S, which is a report published by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which “outlines the key findings of the 2017 Point-In-Time (PIT) count and Housing Inventory Count (HIC) conducted in January 2017. Specifically, this report provides 2017 national, state, and CoC-level PIT and HIC estimates of homelessness, as well as estimates of chronically homeless persons, homeless veterans, and homeless children and youth.”